Malevolence
by WatchTheSkyBleed
Summary: AU - Unknown to humanity, a constant war is being waged between those who wish to protect humanity, and those who wish to destroy it. All that's needed to end this war is a weapon, a weapon so powerful that it tips the balance over to one side, but who would have thought that 'weapon' would come in the form of an irritable high school boy named Ichigo? Warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings for this story:**

 **Yaoi, explicit smut and blood play, scenes of dubious con, foul language and hints of gore.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Folding his arms behind his back, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, second in command, bows his head at the shrouded silent figure resting on a large, gold throne before him.

"Lord Yamamoto."

The figure on the throne lowers the black hood of it's silk robes, the face of an ageing, bald man, his wrinkled eyes nothing more than slits, coming into view.

"Captain Byakuya, I trust that you bring some news?"

"Yes, my Lord. The Espada clan have been tracked down in Karakura town."

Lord Yamamoto hums, clasping his hands together in front of himself.

"I see, and what action has been taken?"

"The elite Reaper unit has been sent out to deal with the threat, with clear instructions that the vermin are to be questioned and then eradicated, no matter the cost."

"I am very pleased to hear that. Tell me, the Lieutenant currently in charge of the elite reaper unit is your own sister, Rukia Kuchiki, is it not?"

"Yes, my Lord, it is."

"And you trust in her abilities to succeed in this particular mission?"

"I guarantee it, my Lord."

Yamamoto nods, leaning back in his throne.

"Then I will leave overseeing the matter in your very capable hands, Captain Byakuya. Nothing else matters, apart from eradicating the vermin that fills this world."

Byakuya bows, a long strand of raven black hair falling across his face.

"Of course, thank you, my lord. I will not fail you."

Byakuya turns on his heel, making to leave.

"Before you leave, there is one more thing I would like to question you about."

Stopping in his tracks, Byakuya turns.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Has there been any word on the location of Aizen?"

"No, he has not been seen nor heard of for the past ten years, and any of the bloodsuckers we have managed to question can tell us nothing of him or his whereabouts, my Lord."

Lord Yamamoto does not seem to react to the news, only dismissing Byakyua with a curt wave of his wrinkled hand.

Without another word, Byakuya wrenches open the heavy, wooden doors of the chamber, heading out into the candle lit corridor, the doors booming shut behind him.

* * *

"ICHIGO, MY SON! TIME FOR SCHOO-"

A firm punch to the face sends the excitable, older man flying, hitting the wall roughly as the now awake teenage boy yawns and stretch's on his bed.

Rubbing his now bruised cheek, the dark haired older man smirks.

"You are getting more alert, my boy, seems Daddy's teachings are going well!"

The teenager rolls his chocolate brown eyes, running a hand through his sleep tousled orange spikes.

"Whatever, goat face. It's not my fault you're becoming predictable."

Isshin pouts, standing up and charging at his son once again.

"Predictable, huh? Then try to block Daddy like this, son!"

Ichigo lazily lift's up one of his legs, swiftly kicking his manic father in the stomach.

Isshin collapses to his knees, holding his stomach and groaning as Ichigo get's off the bed and heads into his bathroom.

"D-don't worry, Daddy will get you next t-time!"

Locking the bathroom door, Ichigo ignores the stupid threat and starts to get himself ready for another boring day of learning.

* * *

Once he's dressed and ready, Ichigo heads downstairs and into the kitchen, opening the fridge and pouring himself a fresh glass of orange juice.

One of his younger sister's, Yuzu, watches him worriedly as she loads some dirty laundry into the washing machine.

"Ichigo, aren't you going to eat breakfast?"

Rinsing out his empty glass in the sink, Ichigo shakes his head.

"You know I'm never hungry in the mornings, Yuzu, I'll wait until lunch."

"B-but, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially with your condition!"

"God, you're beginning to sound like Goat face. I'll be fine, I'll eat later I promise. Besides, it's never affected me before, you worry too much."

His other sister, Karin, is slouching at the dining table, a sports magazine in her hands.

"I don't know why you even bother any more Yuzu, you know the idiot doesn't listen."

"Hey, watch who you're calling an idiot, I'm still your older brother," Ichigo growls.

"That doesn't change the fact you're a big idiot."

Ichigo grabs his school bag and unlatches the front door.

"Whatever, I'm off. Tell Dad I won't be back until later tonight, I'm hanging out with friends after school."

Karin blatantly ignores him, her nose stuck back in the magazine, but Yuzu smiles and nods.

"Sure thing, Ichigo! But please remember to eat something soon!"

* * *

Sitting down at his desk, Ichigo rest's his chin on his hands as other students chatter to each other around him.

God, can't this day go any faster?

He loathes school with a passion, but he makes sure to keep his attendance up and study because he wants to keep his grades up.

After all, he needs to do good in school in order to get a good career in the future to earn a living.

Which now he thinks about it, sounds pretty damn boring.

Surely there has to be more to life than just studying, then working until you're eventually put in the ground with a plaque with your name on it being the only reminder to people that you were even alive.

And even someday that'll be gone too.

Huh, seems like his thoughts have gone quite morbid today.

"ICHIGO! THERE YOU ARE!"

Ichigo looks up, seeing his over excited, brown haired friend Keigo grinning down at him like an eager puppy.

"Hey, Keigo."

Keigo slaps his hands down on Ichigo's desk.

"Did you watch the news this morning? Please tell me you did!"

"No I didn't, why?"

Keigo gasps dramatically.

"Unacceptable! Dude, there was another of those weird murders last night, you know, body drained of blood again, wound to the neck. Like I keep saying, VAMPIRES ARE AMONG US!"

"For the love of God Keigo, there's no such thing as vampires, by neck wound they probably just mean a stab wound."

"NO NO, I'M NOT LISTENING TO THIS! YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO FACE REALITY ICHIGO, YOU'LL BE NEXT!"

Ichigo closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"I swear, if you don't stop acting like such a stupid ass-"

"OI MIZUIRO, GET OVER HERE AND BACK ME UP!"

A shorter, black haired boy comes over to the two, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Huh, about what Keigo?"

"THE VAMPIRE MURDERS DUDE! WE WENT OVER THIS LAST NIGHT!"

"Oh, _that_."

"YES THAT! ICHIGO IS TRYING TO BLOW MY DEDUCTION OFF AS JUST SOME STAB WOUNDS!"

"Well, that's not entirely impossible-"

"WHAT!"

Keigo puts his head in his hands, moaning sorrowfully.

"MY FRIENDS, ALL TURNING AGAINST ME! NOTHING BUT TRAITORS, THE PAIR OF YOU!"

Ichigo sighs with disinterest as Keigo continues to screech about how 'everyone hates him' and 'how could his two best buddies do such a thing'.

It takes everything in Ichigo not to sock him in the mouth just to stop the damn drama.

Keigo only shuts his big mouth when their teacher finally arrives and the days lesson begins.

 _Vampires._

Sheesh, what a stupid idea, Keigo just gets crazier every day.

* * *

After school's over, Ichigo, Keigo and Mizuiro catch a movie at the cinema, before grabbing a bite to eat.

As day eventually turns into night, they all head down to the quiet river embankment, sitting down in the dry grass.

Ichigo stares up at the dark night sky as Mizuiro and Keigo continue to chatter amongst themselves.

He doesn't really know why, but there's a sort of uneasiness pooling in his gut, which has been there for the past few days.

Maybe he's getting ill or something.

Oh, that reminds him.

Reaching into his school bag, he takes out his insulin and bunch's up his school shirt.

He loads up the needle and pushes it into his stomach, slowly injecting the contents before putting the dirty needle back in the container to change when he get's back home.

Keigo makes a face of disgust at him.

"Dude, do you have to do that in front of me?"

"Piss off Keigo, it's only a needle and besides, it's being injected into me, not you. Stop being such a pansy."

"SEE, BEING RUDE TO YOUR BEST FRIEND AGAIN! WHY ARE YOU SO PISSY LATELY, LIKE, EVEN MORE THAN USUAL!"

Ichigo shrugs, smoothing out his shirt again and fiddling with some pieces of grass.

Keigo suddenly get's back to his feet, heading off to under the bridge.

"I'm gonna go take a leak, don't you guys miss me too much!"

Ichigo rolls his eyes.

"You know, he is right about you though."

Ichigo stares over at Mizuiro, who is watching him curiously.

"Keigo, _right_? I don't think I've ever heard those two words together before."

"You do seem kind of distant and irritable, especially the past few days, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good, don't worry."

"AHHH!"

Ichigo immediately jumps to his feet, his eyes becoming saucers at the blood curdling scream, coming straight from under the bridge...

"KEIGO!"

Mizuiro starts to run down the embankment, but Ichigo grabs onto his shirt collar, stopping him.

"Stop Mizurio, I'll go, you stay here."

"BUT ICHIGO-"

"I'll handle it, stay here, do you understand me? No matter what you hear or see, stay here."

Mizuiro trembles, but stays put as Ichigo speeds off down the embankment, his brain gearing into fight mode.

Could it be something to do with the murders going on in town?

Surely not, no, it must just be that damned Keigo being overly dramatic again.

He probably just tripped and decided to scare the shit out of Ichigo and Mizuiro.

 _Right?_

Ichigo skids to a stop when he reaches the small groove underneath the bridge, his eyes taking in the confusing scene before him.

Keigo is being pressed up against one of the walls by a tall, lanky figure, its long greasy black hair illuminated in the sparse light coming from the moon.

The guy's face is buried in the side of Keigo's neck, gloved hands pinning Keigo's hands above his head so he has no chance to even fight back.

Keigo's wide terrified eyes spot Ichigo, and his lower lip trembles.

"I-Ichi..."

Ichigo doesn't know why, but his feet seem frozen to the spot, only being able to watch the scene playing out in front of him.

Usually, he's more than ready to fight, to swing a few punches, get a few good kicks in.

But this feels... _different_.

Something in his mind is screaming for him to just fight, get Keigo out of the way and beat the living shit out of this perverted weirdo, but his body isn't co-operating.

The male plastered against Keigo seems to finally notice another presence, glancing back toward's Ichigo.

With a gasp, Ichigo's mouth falls open as he finally get's a look at the man's face.

His pale skin, his dark grey eyes that seem to pierce Ichigo to his very core, and worst of all, the man's wide, piano toothed grin.

His huge teeth are stained red, some of the crimson liquid dripping down his chin and smeared across his thin lips.

 _Blood..._

 _Blood..._

"Ichigo, h-help me!"

Ichigo turns his head to the side, a sudden wave of nausea overwhelming his senses, and he clamps a hand over his mouth to try to stop himself from vomiting.

He shouldn't be able too, not from this distance, but fuck, he can smell it.

No, he can _taste_ it, taste it as if it were dripping on his own tongue.

It's sickly sweet, and something hidden deep down in him stirs, something that enjoys the taste, that wants _more_.

The lanky man smirks over at a distressed Ichigo, releasing Keigo's arms, instead pinning him to the wall with a slender hand wrapped around his throat.

Keigo gasps, struggling against the harsh grip.

"I told ya, there's no point in strugglin ya lil runt. And who the fuck is the strawberry, he yer friend?"

Keigo whimpers, the hand on his throat tightening it's grip as the taller male leans down, skimming his long tongue across Keigo's cheek.

As he watches, Ichigo's hand's ball into tight fists.

He has no idea what the fuck is happening right now or why he's feeling like this, but one thing's clear.

He has to step in and stop this freak from hurting Keigo any more.

"Hey, you lanky piece of shit!"

The creepy fucker glances over at him, his lips twisting into a sneer.

"The fuck did ya just say to me, human?"

 _Human?_

He spits the word with such disdain, it makes a cold shiver run up Ichigo's spine.

But it's going to take more than words to make Ichigo back down.

"You heard me! What the fuck are you going to do about it?"

The guy growls angrily, releasing his hold completely on Keigo, who drops to the ground, choking and wheezing.

"Ya sure got some balls for a whiny human, don't ya boy?"

As the stranger slowly strides towards him, Ichigo stands his ground.

He doesn't take a step back, he doesn't run.

He _won't_ back down.

As the distance is closed between them, Ichigo's eyes widen, his blood running cold in his veins.

He could already tell this guy was pretty tall, but shit, he must be at least seven foot, towering over Ichigo.

Ichigo swallows thickly, gearing his body up to fight as adrenaline thumps through his veins.

Once he is within touching distance, Ichigo lunges forward, throwing his fist out toward's the creepy guy's grinning face, but he easily catches it with one hand, tugging Ichigo toward's him.

Ichigo stumbles forward, bumping into the guys surprisingly toned chest.

Before he even has chance to put some distance back between them, he's spun around, one of his arm's pinned roughly behind his back, to the point he can feel the bones creaking painfully beneath his skin.

He has to grit his teeth to stop himself screaming out in pain.

"Come on, ya gotta do better than that if ya wanna keep yer pathetic life."

Ichigo grunts as a wet tongue traces the shell of his ear, warm breath ghosting across his ear.

"Name's Nnoitra, and I wanna hear ya scream it when I start rippin ya apart, pretty boy."

Ichigo's heart hammers against his ribcage, blood pounding furiously in his ears.

Nnoitra's nose brushes against his cheek, then the side of his neck, but he seems to stop there, sniffing at Ichigo's skin curiously.

"What the...what's up with yer smell boy-"

"Stop right there, there will be no more bloodshed from you tonight, _vermin_."

As relief blossoms in his chest, Ichigo tries to turn around to see the source of the all too welcome female voice, but it only increases the pressure Nnoitra is using on his arm, so he stops.

"For fucks sake, can't a guy jus have a lil fun without you bastards showin up?" Nnoitra grumbles as he leans back, but doesn't release his grip on Ichigo.

"Release the boy and surrender, and we may show you some mercy."

As Nnoitra cackles wildly, Ichigo tries to twist his arm free, grunting with the pain that flares up as he does.

"Oh really? That's real nice of ya slayer, but I'm afraid the only one who's gonna need mercy tonight is YA!"

Ichigo thuds to the dirt ground as he's suddenly released, and scrambles around wondering why.

Nnoitra is a few feet away now, a hand pressed firmly over his left eye, blood leaking freely through his gloved fingers and down his face.

What the...

"YA LITTLE BITCH, THE FUCK HAVE YA DONE TO ME?"

Ichigo stares over at who Nnoitra is screeching at, his eyes finding a short, petite female, dressed in a black, form fitting uniform, her shoulder length raven hair blowing in the slight breeze around them.

She grips a long slender sword in her right hand, dark blood now dripping from the edge of it and onto the dirt ground below.

Nnoitra trembles, his mouth stretched into an enraged sneer.

"FUCK, WHY AIN'T I HEALING? TELL ME WHAT YA DID YA FUCKER!"

The woman narrows her dark lilac eyes back at him.

"Must you use such vile language? I would have thought even your kind would eventually grow to have some manners, but it appears I was wrong. Now, are you going to surrender?"

Nnoitra hisses like a cornered animal, and Ichigo watches on in horror as two of his blood stained front teeth suddenly shift into long, sharp fangs.

"AS IF I'D SURRENDER TO SCUM LIKE YA!"

He spins back towards Ichigo, who scrambles backwards as Nnoitra lunges at him like a wild animal.

He closes his eyes, waiting for the inevitable hard impact and pain, throwing his arms up to try and protect himself.

But it doesn't come.

He opens his eyes, seeing the petite woman now crouched down in front of him, locked between him and Nnoitra.

Ichigo gasps as he see's the gloved hand that's protruding from her back, fresh blood spattering onto the dirt around.

Nnoitra steps back from her, panting heavily as her sword is ripped free of his abdomen.

He swiftly withdraws his own hand from her body, and the woman slumps to the dirt ground, face first.

Ichigo leans over her, putting his hands over the large wound to try to stop the profuse bleeding, turning his face away as the sweet smell once again invades his nostrils, this time much more potent since he's much closer to it.

He desperately will's himself in his head to keep calm, bear through it and keep pressure on the wound, a woman's life is at stake here.

A woman who just put herself in danger to save him.

He glances up at Nnoitra, who is panting heavily and sweating, his other hand now over the wound in his stomach.

Nnoitra growls down at him, before raising his head and sniffing at the night air.

"B-bitch brought friends. L-looks like I gotta go."

He leers down at Ichigo, a manic cackle erupting from his blood stained lips.

"Don't yer worry, I got yer scent now s-strawberry, one way or another, I'm gonna tear ya and yer lil friends limb from limb!"

Ichigo grit's his teeth angrily.

"RUKIA!"

Ichigo turns his head, seeing a heavily tattooed, red haired man, dressed in similar black combat attire to the woman next to him, racing down the grassy embankment.

Ichigo turns back to look at Nnoitra, but the guy's nowhere in sight, like he just vanished into thin air.

The red head races over to them, dropping to his knees next to the still woman.

"RUKIA, RUKIA WHAT HAPPENED!"

The woman groans softly, managing to slowly push herself onto her front and into a sitting position.

"Y-you shouldn't move with a wound like that!" Ichigo shouts at her.

Her steely eyes narrow at him, and his breath catches in his throat.

"Q-Quiet, boy. This is none of your c-concern."

Ichigo frowns down at her, removing his blood smeared hands from her wound when she smacks at them.

He put's them behind his back, not wanting to even look at the red liquid coating them.

The red head reaches into his belt, retrieving a small walkie talkie and holding it up to his mouth.

"Hirako, Rukia's been badly injured, and the Espada's escaped. Return to base and tell Inoue to get ready."

 _"What, he escaped? Jeez Abarai, you guys are getting real sloppy."_

"SHUT UP AND DO AS I SAY!"

 _"Yeah yeah, don't worry I heard you the first time."_

The man turn's his attention to a startled Ichigo, his suspicious eyes looking him up and down.

"Was it just you who saw what happened here tonight?"

Ichigo opens his mouth, about to say yes, when...

"ICHIGO, OH MY GOD I'M BLEEDING, IT'S STILL NOT STOPPING, I THINK I'M DYING!"

Ichigo sighs irritably, pushing himself to his feet and heading over to Keigo.

Keigo is knelt on the dirt ground still, his eyes comically wide as he holds onto the side of his neck.

Ichigo crouches next to him and nudges his hand away, looking at the wound.

Most of the blood is now dried, but some is still leaking out of the two rather small puncture wounds there in tiny beads.

Ichigo licks his suddenly too dry lips, before shaking his head and staring down at the dirt.

"Stop exaggerating for fuck's sake Keigo, you aren't dying."

Keigo gasps, clutching onto Ichigo's hand.

"YOU'RE FULL OF BLOOD TOO, DID HE GET YOU?"

"Well no, I-"

"He's been bitten?"

Ichigo glances up, the heavily tattooed red head looming over him, the wounded woman scooped up in his arms.

"If he's been bitten and not drained, there's a chance he could turn. And since you both witnessed this, you'll have to come with me too."

Ichigo raises an eyebrow.

"And if we don't?"

"Then I'll have to kill you both, here and now."

Keigo whimpers, clutching onto Ichigo's arm harder.

"Fine then, come on Keigo."

"ICHIGO ARE YOU CRAZY, WHO EVEN ARE THESE PEOPLE!"

Ichigo loops Keigo's arm over his shoulder, his eyes staring off at the other side of the embankment.

This guy obviously doesn't know about Mizurio, so he'll keep his mouth shut.

Chances are he didn't see any of this, so there'd be no point dragging him into this anyway.

"Both of you, follow me, and be quick about it. The more time we spend dawdling, the more chance there is we'll be spotted."

Ichigo nods, following the man up the other side of the embankment and into the night.

He glances over his shoulder just once, but there's no sign of Mizuiro or that Nnoitra guy.

* * *

"FUCK FUCK, FUCK!"

Nnoitra writhes around on the steel medical chair, his hand clamped over his still injured eye.

Another male, stood next to the chair and typing into a sleek silver computer glances over at him, reaches a white gloved hand up to move a stray strand of bright pink hair from his face.

"Please refrain from using such vile language in my medical bay, Nnoitra."

"FUCK YOU SZAYEL, WHY AIN'T IT HEALED ALREADY? DO YER FUCKIN JOB RIGHT AND THEN YA CAN TELL ME TO SHUT THE FUCK UP, YA PINK HAIRED BASTARD!"

Szayel huffs, turning his gaze away from the computer, leaning over Nnoitra.

"How can I put this delicately...well, it seems the slayer who wounded you coated their blade in some kind of poison that is stopping your vampire cells from regenerating the damaged tissue. That is also why the wound in your abdomen has had to be stitched. It is healing but very slowly, unlike your eye wound, due to the poison being concentrated on the first wound. So I would refrain from exerting yourself too much for now, unless you want your organs to pop out, that is."

Nnoitra growls up at him.

"THEN GET RID OF THE FUCKIN POISON, AIN'T THAT WHAT YA ARE HERE FOR?"

"I'm afraid this is rather advanced, even by my standards. I need time to examine it and create some kind of antidote, until then there is nothing I can do."

"WHAT? ARE YA TELLIN ME MY EYE'S STUCK LIKE THIS!"

"Well yes-"

Nnoitra jumps up from the chair, his slender hands coiling around the startled doctor's neck.

"YA BETTER FIND A WAY RIGHT NOW, OR SO HELP ME-"

"That is enough, Nnoitra, release him at once."

Nnoitra stiffens at the deep, monotone voice, before releasing his grip and turning around.

"Ulquiorra..."

The white skinned, smaller male stood in the doorway steps into the medical bay, his cold emerald eyes locked on Nnoitra.

"Szayel is here to aid us, not to be manhandled, is that understood?"

Nnoitra huffs, but sits back on the medical chair, scratching at his freshly bandaged stomach.

Ulquiorra shoves his slender hands into the pockets of his long white coat as he stares at him.

"You were warned about going out to feed alone, Nnoitra, especially now that an elite group of slayers has been deployed in this town. If you had been captured, they could have managed to get some information of our Lord out of you. I suggest you think next time before doing something so reckless."

Nnoitra nods silently, leaning back in the chair as Ulquiorra turns his attention to Szayel.

"For the time being, give Nnoitra an eye patch to cover his wounded eye, and start working on an antidote to this new trick the slayers have decided to use on us."

Szayel bows his head.

"Right away, sir."

Ulquiorra swiftly takes his leave, heading out into another, more darkened room, sitting down on a leather couch and crossing his legs.

There is an identical couch opposite, a muscular, blue haired man lounging on it, headphones blasting out some kind of heavy rock music, his eyes closed as he hums along contentedly.

After waiting a few moments, Ulquiorra narrows his eyes and gets back to his feet, moving over to the other couch and using a hand to push off the headphones.

The blue haired man grunts, his ocean blue eyes flickering open.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Ulquiorra towers over him, not in the slightest bit perturbed.

"The question is, what are you doing, Grimmjow?"

"Huh?"

"One of our own could have just been captured and killed by slayers, and you are lounging around listening to music as if nothing has happened?"

Grimmjow rolls his eyes, putting his hands behind his head.

"That's the dickheads own fault for not listening, I don't give a fuck about him."

"You should. We are the only vampires who have knowledge of Lord Aizen and his whereabouts. We cannot afford to end up in the hands of our enemy, for all of our kinds sakes."

"Jeez, shouldn't you be spending your precious time bitchin at Nnoitra instead of me?"

Ulquiorra narrows his eyes down at him.

"No, I shouldn't. The only reason the Slayers managed to track our clan down to this town in the first place is because you did not clean up properly after your meals. What were you thinking, leaving them out in the street for other humans to discover?"

Grimmjow doesn't reply, smirking coyly up at Ulquiorra.

"Unless...you did this on purpose."

Grimmjow's smirk turns into a full blown grin, his cyan eyes taking on a maniac glint.

"Took you a while to catch on there."

Ulquiorra hisses, grabbing onto the collar of Grimmjow's black leather jacket and tugging the bigger male to his feet.

"You damned fool! Why would you put our kind at such unnecessary risk?"

Grimmjow cackles, shoving away Ulquiorra's hand and sneering down at the smaller male.

"Why do you think? It's been a while since I got to sink my teeth into a slayer, and even longer since I found one that's been able to keep up with me."

"You did this out of _boredom_?"

"Sure did, and looks like I got my wish. Those stupid fuckers have sent an elite group after us, and I'm gonna pick them all off, one by one, like the fucking scum they are."

Ulquiorra sighs, turning away from Grimmjow.

"I should kill you for doing something so reckless."

"I'd like to see you fuckin try," Grimmjow growls heatedly.

Ulquiorra stares over his shoulder at him, his all too calm eyes boring into Grimmjow's blood thirsty ones.

With a snort, Ulquiorra shoves his hands into his pockets, starting to leave the room.

"No, I will leave that to Lord Aizen. I am sure once he finds out about this he will want to handle such disobedience to our cause with his own bare hands."

Grimmjow narrow's his eyes as he watches Ulquiorra leave, giving his back the middle finger.

* * *

 **I actually wrote this a while ago now, and I waited to upload it because I wasn't sure I would want to continue it, so I left it on my computer. But I recently read it again and decided yep, this is definitely a good old blood thirsty story I can sink my teeth into and continue with, so here you guys go, the first chapter of it done and dusted!**

 **Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Where exactly is this supposed base?

Well, Ichigo's mind conjured up some kind of amazing, technology encrypted underground base, kind of like the bat cave or something.

But it just goes to show, imagination really does differ from reality.

He follows the heavily tattooed guy, a whimpering Keigo still looped over his shoulder, to what looks like a small, run down shop on the outskirts of town.

The red head raises a hand and knocks sharply three times on the closed wooden doors.

A small dark slit appears in the top of the door, and Ichigo can make out an eye peering through.

"Yes?" An unfamiliar voice sing songs from within.

The red head growls impatiently, shifting the now unconscious woman in his arms.

"Cut the crap Urahahra, you can see it's me now let me in, Rukia's badly injured."

There is a small silence that follows, before the door is opened inward with a loud creak, the tattooed red head wasting no time in barging right on in.

Ichigo follows more cautiously, dragging Keigo inside with him.

The door behind them clicks shut, the room being almost in pitch black darkness if it weren't for a few candles set out on various shelves and stands around the room.

Ichigo's eye's rove around curiously, trying to take in every little detail, from the scuffed wooden flooring, to the magnolia painted walls.

The red head is already making his way over to the far end of the room, disappearing through another set of wooden doors.

"Why hello there."

Ichigo jumps out of his skin at the slightly creepy sing song voice, glancing to his left.

His eyes find a tall, blonde haired man, wearing a hat and twirling a long wooden cane in one his hands.

Ichigo gulps uneasily, the man giving him an eerie vibe.

"Your friend, is he injured?"

Ichigo nods, glancing down at a trembling Keigo.

"Yeah, um, he got..."

"Bitten?"

"Yeah."

The man steps forward, grasping Keigo's chin, tilting his head to the side and studying the fresh wound on his neck, which has now stopped bleeding.

"Whoever it was, it seems they got him quite good. I can't really tell yet whether he's been turned just yet, but we'll find out soon enough."

The guy is now close enough to Ichigo that he can make out the light blonde stubble marking his chin and the man's glinting green eye's that seem to be boring right into his very soul.

"Hmm, what's your name?"

"Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Interesting, and your friend here is?"

"Keigo, Keigo Asano."

" _Interesting_. I am Urahara Kisuke, a pleasure to meet you both. Now, if you and your friend would be so kind as to follow me then, Mr Kurosaki."

The man trotts off through the same set of double doors as the red head, and Ichigo sighs heavily before following him.

After going through the doors and pulling aside a long velvet green curtain, he finds himself to be in what looks like some sort of make shift medical bay.

Medical supplies are strewn around the room on various silver counter tops, and a large medical chair centred in the middle of the cluttered room. There's also a set of white beds over to one side, freshly made with clean white sheets.

The violet eyed woman from earlier, Rukia, is currently laid down on the medical chair, her eyes closed but her chest is still slowly moving up and down.

Securing some bandages and stitching her wound is another woman, her long orange hair tied up into a loose bun as she works hard on the injured Rukia.

The tattooed red head is leaning against one of the far walls, a deep frown on his face as he seems to be lost in thought about something.

Urahara gestures towards one of the white beds, and Ichigo places Keigo down on it, stepping back as the creepy blonde examines Keigo's wound once again.

He retrieves a small flash light from his pocket, shining it across Keigo's confused eyes.

Ichigo watches in silence, his eyes wandering over to the tattooed red head.

Just what in the _hell_ is going on?

It's like he's just been slam dunked into some weird kind of teenage horror movie.

Which some people may think is a dream, but to Ichigo it seems like a damn nightmare that he can't wake up from.

The green curtain is pushed to one side again, a slender, blonde male with a bob cut and dressed in yet again black attire coming into the room, using a gloved hand to shift aside some of the hair that's fallen across his face.

"Well, I suppose tonight could have gone better for you guys."

The tattooed guy growls, pushing himself away from the wall.

"Who care's about that right now, Rukia could've been killed Shinji!"

The blonde, Shinji, rolls his eyes, unsheathing a long sword from his belt, staring down at it and tutting.

"Damn, dry blood is always a bitch to get off."

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME- hold on, why is your blade covered in blood?"

Shinji huffs, letting the blade fall back to his side.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, I didn't kill any humans, my serum's working perfectly fine. I-"

Shinji stops abruptly, staring over at Ichigo.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Uh, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Shinji frowns deeply, before marching over to Ichigo and grabbing him roughly by his school shirt collar.

Ichigo is beyond confused as Shinji grabs onto his chin, moving his face side to side, his narrowed eyes roving over his throat.

Then he moves to down Ichigo's arm's, turning each of them over, almost as if he's searching for something.

The blatant manhandling makes Ichigo beyond uncomfortable, and when Shinji start's to unbutton the collar of his shirt he quickly tears himself out of the other's grasp.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

Shinji clicks his tongue, tapping his chin with a gloved finger.

"I'm looking for a bite mark, so just be a good boy and keep still will you?"

"Shinji, the kid wasn't bitten-"

Shinji holds a hand up to silence the other.

"I beg to differ, _Renji_. I can smell it all over him."

Ichigo scowls at Shinji, straightening out his shirt.

"I wasn't bitten, alright? I don't know what the fuck you guys are even talking about, or what's going on!"

"Look, don't make me have to play 'guess where' Ichigo, otherwise I'm gonna strip your ass bare naked right here, right now."

"THE HELL YOU ARE!" Ichigo screams, backing up.

Shinji stalks him every step, and when Ichigo's back hit's the wall, he thumps his fist against the wall next to Ichigo's head, so hard that a bit crumbles and falls to the ground.

"Last chance."

Ichigo stares back at him defiantly.

With a heavy sigh, Shinji grabs onto Ichigo's shirt, but before he can rip it off, Ichigo brings his fist up, smashing it into his face and sending him flying backwards across the floor.

Renji stares on wide eyed, his eyes glancing between Shinji and Ichigo, and even Urahara stops examining Keigo to watch the scene.

Shinji cackles, wiping a bead of blood on his lip on the back of his sleeve.

"Shit, you sure pack a punch Ichigo. Which makes me even more sure you're one of them."

Renji growls, drawing his own sword from it's sheath and pointing it at Ichigo.

"You're a vampire?"

Shit, he has to diffuse this, and diffuse it now before these guys freakin decapitate him!

"Vampire? Vampire's aren't even real, I-"

Ichigo trails off, hearing the stupidity of his own words.

Of course, after what he's seen tonight, it's stupid of him to keep preaching the 'vampire's aren't real' crap, but it's just impossible...

"So, say I believe this whole 'I've not been bitten' crap, why do you smell like one of them?"

"Well, that freaky tall guy was all over me before-"

"No, the smell's coming _from_ you, not on you. I know the difference."

Ichigo growls.

"I don't know, like I told you! And why do you keep saying you can smell me you creepy bastard, are you a fucking sniffer dog or something?"

Shinji tsks, putting his hands on his hips.

"It's because I'm a vampire too, or to be more exact, I'm part vampire."

 _Part vampire?_

"I...I don't even..."

Grasping his hands in his spiky locks, Ichigo slides down the wall, sitting back against it while he tries to maintain what's left of his tattered sanity.

Urahara finishes dressing Keigo's neck wound, turning his attention to them.

"Come on now, you haven't even explained to him what he's managed to get himself into, you're confusing the poor guy."

Renji turns to the quiet girl still working hard on an unconscious Rukia.

"Orihime?"

Finishing off the last of the stitches, she looks up from her work.

"Yes, Renji?"

"Keep tending to Rukia, and-"

Renji gestures at Urahara.

"Is that kid on the bed infected?"

"Oh no, I highly doubt it. With the scent of so much blood in the air, if he was infected he would have acted upon such an opportunity by now."

Keigo presses a hand lightly to the bandage on his neck, still trembling slightly.

Urahara hands him a small pill and a glass of water.

"Take this, it should help with the shock."

Keigo hesitates, but does so, and as soon as he hands the drained glass back to Urahara his eyes loll closed, and he falls back on the bed with a thump.

"Keigo!"

Ichigo jumps up from the floor and rushes over to him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"He's completely fine, Mr Kurosaki."

"What the hell did you give him?"

"Just a little fast acting sleeping concoction I cooked up myself, he'll be out like a light for the next few hours."

Urahara grins, tipping his hand down at Ichigo.

"Now, shall we go and discuss things somewhere a little less...bloody?"

* * *

Ichigo sit's down on the plush chair Urahara offers him, clasping his hands together in his lap.

Shinji chooses to sit down on the wide window ledge behind him, scrubbing at the blood staining his sword with a wet cloth, while Renji sits down beside Ichigo on an identical plush chair.

Urahara sighs as he sit's down in front of them all, crossing his legs and tilting up his hat.

"So, Mr Kurosaki, where would you like me to start?"

Ichigo shrugs, glancing at Renji who is scowling at him.

"Well...if we're gonna get straight to the point here, was that guy from earlier really a...a..."

"A vampire?" Urahara asks.

"Uh, yeah."

"Yes, he was. Vampire's are not merely myths. Although, most of what humanity has managed to conjure up about them is most incorrect."

"Such as?" Ichigo questions.

"Well, the whole vampires cannot walk around in the sun is not correct. It is true that they chose to only wander at night, but that is purely because they are easy to spot in a crowd. This is because once turned, the vampire gene mutates it's victims cells, and usually changes at least one aspect of their appearance in the process. It ranges from anything to skin colour all the way to height or hair colour."

Ichigo nods silently, willing his brain to take in all this new information.

"Secondly, forget such rubbish as a stake through the heart. In fact, vampires cannot be killed other than by a Zanpakuto, a blade which all Slayers carry with them. Normal human weapons will not even so much as scratch their skin. And the third most important thing to know, human's or slayer's can both be turned by vampire venom, which they keep stored in their fangs. Once bitten, the vampire can chose whether to inject it, or simply just drink, but obviously, mistakes happen. That's why most of the time vampire's make sure to drain their prey to avoid such things."

"Okay...so you keep saying slayer's and human's separately, why is that?"

"Because Slayer's are not human, Mr Kurosaki."

Ichigo frowns.

"So, if you're not vampires and not humans, what exactly are you?"

"I suppose you could see us as enhanced humans if that makes things easier to comprehend. We look like humans, eat and sleep just like them, but their is a big difference between us. We are faster, stronger, and much more durable in battle."

Shinji sighs, throwing the dirty cloth to one side.

"Urahara, why are you bothering to explain all of this to him? You know what's gonna have to be done."

Ichigo gulps, his eyes wandering down to Renji's sword now at his hip and back in it's sheathe.

Are they going to...kill him?

Because they think he's a damn _vampire_?

"Why indeed. Okay, tell me, Mr Kurosaki, when confronted with your friend, covered in blood earlier tonight, what was the first thing that entered your mind?"

Is he testing him?

If he tells them about how he smelt the blood, then tasted it even from so afar, and it actually tasted somewhat good...will they kill him?

"It would be better if you answered honestly."

Ichigo takes a deep breath, nodding.

"It was the blood."

"Go on."

"It...it was like I could practically taste it on my tongue, and it just seemed to invade my senses. It tasted kind of sickly sweet...but, I swear, I've never been bitten, I don't know why I reacted that way."

Urahara sits back in his chair, chewing on his bottom lip.

"I see. Tell me, is there anything you have to have injected into your system daily?"

Shinji's eyes widen.

"Urahara..."

"Well, I have to inject insulin every day for my diabetes, which I've had since I was born."

"And who prescribes the insulin, your doctor?"

"Actually, my dad does, he's a doctor so he's been the one treating my condition since I've had it."

Shinji hops down from the window sill, standing next to Ichigo.

"Urahara, you can't possibly be thinking _that_ , can you?"

"I am, after all, it makes perfect sense."

"But he's not a Slayer either, a normal human has never been able to accept the serum without dying!"

"That's also true, but there is something I know that you do not know, Mr Hirako."

"Oh, and what's that?" Shinji sneers.

Urahara smirks, reaching into his coat pocket and producing a small fan, using it to waft some cool air onto his face.

"I happen to know an older Mr Kurosaki, a man by the name of Isshin."

At the mention of his father's name, Ichigo jumps to his feet.

"That's my Dad! How do you know him?"

"Well, he regularly comes here to purchase some of my serum."

"Wait a damn minute! Are you saying I'm a _vampire_?"

"Well, you're not entirely a vampire, that's the upside of my amazing serum. It suppresses the vampire gene from completely taking over the subject, and as long as it's injected daily the subject can control their blood lust and live a somewhat ordinary human life. Although, Shinji here is the only one to ever have been able to fully adapt to the serum, the others well...let's just say their bodies and minds were not quite strong enough."

Ichigo feels his knees buckle underneath him, his legs hitting the wooden flooring as his mind whirls and whirls.

Him...one of those things?

 _Serum, vampires, slayers, blood..._

Shinji stares down at him, and Renji get's up from his own chair, folding his arms across his broad chest.

"So what do we do from here, Urahara? You wouldn't have gone to all that trouble if you were going to modify his memory."

Ichigo's chest heaves, sweat pooling on his forehead as he starts to zone out.

Shit, is he hyperventilating?

It sure as hell feels like it.

It's like a damn snake is coiling around his throat, tightening and tightening.

He feels something warm press against his back, making slow, circular movements.

Someone is now knelt down next to him, he can feel the heat of their body and their warm breath near his face.

"Come on Ichigo, get yourself together. Acting like a little bitch is only gonna get you killed in our world."

"Wow, you sure have a great way with words don't you Shinji," Renji mutters.

"Shut the fuck up Renji, would you rather I sit here and baby him? That shit will only get him killed."

Ichigo takes a deep breath, sitting back slightly and staring up at Shinji.

Shinji quirks an eyebrow at him, and Urahara gets to his feet, flicking the fan closed.

"The other boy will have his memory altered and returned home, as for you, Ichigo, I would like to make you an offer."

Ichigo's gaze flicks to Urahara.

"A-an offer?"

"Yes. You've had a taste of this world, of what those vampires can do to humans, to people you care about. You can keep your memory of it, and become a valued member of our team. Or I can simply wipe your memory, but now that a vampire has your scent, he will be back for you. The choice of course, is yours."

"W-what about my family...my friends?"

"Oh you can still carry on with your teenage life, to an extent. After all, I wouldn't want to be one to deprive a boy of his youth, oh no. But, you will be spending all of your spare time training with us, so say goodbye to any after school clubs Mr Kurosaki."

What was it he was thinking earlier?

Life seemed boring, all you do is study and work until you get put into the ground.

He never could have imagined something like this was actually going on in this world.

And as much as the thought of meeting that vampire again, or in fact any more of them, and fighting them scares the living crap out of him, it also really excites a part of him.

Besides, now that he know's about what's really going on in this world, he'll be able to protect the people he care's about a hell of a lot better than he did tonight.

"Fine, I'll do it."

" _Excellent_ , Mr Kurosaki."

* * *

Ichigo watches Renji loop an unconscious Keigo's arm over his shoulder, heading out of the double set of wooden doors at the front of the shop.

Apparently Keigo will just wake up in the morning with a bad headache, the wound on his neck now as good as healed and a different memory, thanks to some more weird concoctions Urahahra cooked up.

As he watches Renji leave, he feels someone tug at his sleeve, glancing next to him to see none other than Shinji, his eyes narrowed.

"You feelin okay there, Kurosaki? Not feelin thirsty, or hungry?"

Ichigo scowls at him, tearing his sleeve free of the other's grip.

"No, I'm not. What is your problem with me anyway?"

"Problem?" Shinji frowns.

"Yeah, I haven't made any attempt to hurt anyone or even drink blood, so why are you so suspicious of me?"

Shinji sighs, glancing up at the full moon above them.

"Let's just say I learnt the hard way not to trust so easily, all right?"

Ichigo opens his mouth to ask Shinji what he means by that, but thinks better of it, and just nods, staring up at the moon too.

"You better be gettin home for now, but there's something you should take with you first."

Shinji takes a small vial out of his pocket, containing a swirling clear liquid and presses it into Ichigo's hand.

"Uh, what is this? Holy water or something?"

"Jeez, no it's not fuckin holy water, get that stupid movie crap out of your head right now. It's a special concoction cooked up by one of our scientist's, it's like acid to them, so be careful you don't get any on your own skin too."

"And you're giving this to me because..."

"Because you moron, if that bloodsucker got away then he might take it upon himself to come back for you while we're not around, understand?"

"Oh right, yeah."

"You only need a little amount and it'll burn right through their flesh, so it should come in real handy, although I hope you aren't gonna need it. Oh, and if I were you I'd make sure to aim for the eye's, should buy you a lot of time in an emergency."

"Uh, thanks."

Shinji nods.

"You want me to walk you home?"

Ichigo stares at him in surprise, but shakes his head, pocketing the small vial.

"I'll be fine, it's actually not that far from here."

"Suit yourself."

As Shinji starts to stroll back inside, Ichigo remembers something else.

"Hey, Shinji!"

"Yeah?"

"How am I supposed to know when to come back here?"

"Trust me, you'll find out soon enough," Shinji smirks, waving a hand as he slinks back into the darkened base.

Ichigo sighs to himself, before making his own way home, but all the way back he keeps his fingers against the small vial in his pocket, his senses on high alert.

He climbs up through his window and locks it, before climbing into bed.

Yeah, he has a hell of a lot to argue with his dad about, but that can wait until tomorrow, right now he needs some fucking sleep.

* * *

Maniac cackling echoes around the small, beat up lounge area as one of the lounge chairs ricochets off the wall.

"STOP FUCKIN LAUGHIN YER BASTARD IT AIN'T FUNNY!" Nnoitra screeches.

Grimmjow clutches his stomach, still roaring with laughter.

"Slayer left more holes in you than a damn pin cushion!"

Nnoitra growls, trying to pick up one of the leather couches next, but a pale hand over his own stops him.

"That is enough, both of you! I have been gone for no more than a few hours and you are fighting amongst yourselves yet again, it is shameful!"

Nnoitra hisses, but withdraws his hand.

"TELL HIM TO KEEP HIS BIG FAT MOUTH SHUT THEN AN WE WON'T HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Grimmjow smirks, his laughter calming down.

"Not my fault you can't take a joke, you lanky fucker."

"SHUT YER MOUTH ALREADY-"

"ENOUGH!" Ulquiorra barks, and the two of them stare at him, their eyes widening.

"This is beyond ridiculous, we are Aizen's most trusted clan and yet you both insist on behaving like children, it is unacceptable!"

Grimmjow rolls his cyan eyes, flopping back down on the couch and taking a swig from the half empty bottle of whiskey now by his side.

"Yeah yeah, I'm a real pain in the ass, it's nothing you haven't told me before, can we skip another boring lecture?"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrow, his right eye twitching, before he spins on his heel and stomps from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Nnoitra watches him go, before turning back to Grimmjow, grinning widely.

"So, where were we?"

* * *

 _ **Beep beep beep beep**_

"Ugh..."

Ichigo throws a hand out from under his covers, banging his stupid alarm clock until the thing shuts up.

Sitting up in bed, he rubs his tired eyes and yawns.

Yeah, he could definitely have done with a few more hours. Now he's going to have to walk around school like an extra from the walking dead, awesome.

What happened just a few hours ago almost seems like a dream, but he know's it's not, and the proof was currently sitting on his computer desk.

Getting out of bed, he heads into the bathroom and starts to get ready for school, just like any ordinary high school kid.

Once he's washed and dressed, he snatches the vial up, makes sure the cap is secure and then puts it into his pants pocket before heading downstairs.

As expected, Yuzu is already busy at cleaning off the kitchen counters and cooking breakfast, and when she see's Ichigo she smiles warmly.

"Good morning Ichigo!"

"Yeah morning," Ichigo yawns, stretching his arms behind his head.

"You seem awfully tired, did you not get much sleep last night?"

"Nah, but I'll be fine, I can always catch up tonight."

Karin is no where to be seen, which means she probably headed out early this morning to play football before school, so Ichigo grabs a can of cold cola from the fridge and sits at the empty table.

"Ichigo, you shouldn't drink fizzy drinks so early in the morning," Yuzu scolds.

"It's just a one off."

"Still...don't you want to at least try to eat something? I can make you whatever you like."

"I'm good, but thanks," Ichigo smiles.

Ichigo hears the door to the living area open, but he doesn't turn around, just drinks his cola and keeps his eyes on the table in front of him.

"Morning Dad, do you want some breakfast?"

"Uh, not right now Yuzu, Daddy has something he needs to sort out with your big brother."

Ichigo scoffs, playing with the can in his hands.

"Oh, do you now?"

"Ichigo, not in front of Yuzu," Isshin pleads, and Ichigo sighs, getting up from the table and heading out into the back yard, Isshin hot on his tail.

Once he sets foot outside, he reels his fist back and punches Isshin square in the jaw, sending the older man stumbling backwards.

"Ouch! That was a good one, son!"

"Don't make a damn joke out of this! Why the hell have you been lying to me all these years, huh? Let's start with that!"

Isshin rubs at his jaw and lets out a sigh.

"I only did it to protect you, Ichigo, so that you could lead a normal life."

"Well that worked out well, didn't it?" Ichigo spits, running his hands through his hair.

"I know you're mad, and you have every right to be, but trust me when I say I only kept it from you because-"

"Oh, kept the teeny tiny fact that I'm a fucking vampire from me?"

"SHUSH! Don't go shouting that so loudly!"

"Why the hell not? You ashamed of me, _Dad_?"

"Of course not! But I don't want you to scare Yuzu. I'm sorry Ichigo, I truly am for lying all these years."

Ichigo rubs his temples, willing himself to calm down before his damn head explodes.

"So what the hell happened to me, who the fuck bit me?"

Isshin shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Well, no one bit you."

"What? But Urahara said that's how you get infected..."

"And he's right, but you're a much more special case, Ichigo. You've never been bitten, you were born a half vampire."

Ichigo gapes at Isshin.

"How is that even possible?"

"Your mother...she was bitten while she was pregnant with you. I knew Urahara from way back, and when I told him what had happened, he offered to help, saying he was testing some sort of serum that could suppress the gene. I was willing to give anything a try, to save you both, so I agreed. And it seemed to work, you were born a few months later, happy and healthy, and the serum worked well on both of you. Until that night..."

"You mean, when I was nine?"

"Yeah, I don't know why, but the effects of the serum seemed to be growing weaker and weaker in your mother, and she was finding it harder and harder to fend off the vampire gene, until well...it took control completely."

"Did you...did you kill her?"

Isshin stays quiet, and Ichigo loses his patience, stomping over and grasping Isshin roughly by the front of his white coat.

"DID YOU KILL HER, ANSWER ME!"

Slowly, Isshin shakes his head.

"No, I could never do that."

"THEN WHO DID?"

"Why does it matter?"

"BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW!"

"It...it was a slayer, one who got called in after reports of vampire related activity in this town. I never got his name, but I'll sure as hell never forget those cold, grey eyes as he sliced her down without any hint of hesitation right in front of me. And then he had the nerve to tell me it was a damn blessing."

This...this is all too much for him right now, he can't listen to another word.

NOT ANOTHER WORD!

Growling, Ichigo storms right past a confused Isshin, tugging open the back door.

"I'm going to school now."

"Ichigo, wait-"

"JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" Ichigo barks, slamming it shut behind him.

* * *

The first thing Ichigo notices when he gets into class is that Mizuiro is absent, and it unnerves him greatly.

Did Mizuiro see what happened last night and just run off?

Or did that Nnoitra guy take him somewhere?

Ichigo's hands ball into fists at the thought.

"ICHIGO THANK GOD!"

Keigo is suddenly in front of him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"ICHIGO, HAVE YOU SEEN MIZUIRO! PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE!"

"I...no, I haven't. Keigo, do you remember last night?"

Keigo scratches his head.

"Last night? Yeah, we went to the cinema, hung out then I went home and went to bed. Why are you asking?"

Huh, well at least that creepy Urahara guy wasn't totally full of crap then. That memory modifying pill really seemed to work.

"It doesn't matter. You were asking me about Mizuiro, did he not turn up to school yet?"

"Oh it's much _much_ worse than that! I went to his house this morning so we could walk to school together like we always do, and no one answered! I mean, his mum's at work again but Mizuiro should be in, and he didn't answer me! Not even when I started singing his favourite song underneath his window, or when I started calling him a s-"

Keigo stops rambling when Ichigo clamps a hand firmly over his mouth.

" _I get it_ , Keigo. Look, can you tell Miss Ochi I'm not gonna be in class today?"

Keigo blinks back at him, moving Ichigo's hand away.

"Huh? What do you mean, Ichigo?"

"I'm gonna go look for Mizuiro, so just do that for me, okay?"

Ichigo turns on his heel and leaves before Keigo can utter another word.

* * *

Throwing the gagged and bound kid onto the hard dusty floor, Grimmjow crouches down, watching with sheer delight as the terrified kid's eyes nearly pop out of his skull, sweat dripping down his pale face.

"Hey Nnoitra," Grimmjow calls over his shoulder.

"What do ya want now, dickhead?" Nnoitra growls irritably as he walks into the room, rubbing at the black and white eye patch over his injured eye.

"Why'd you bring this stupid human kid back with you? Ulquiorra's gonna lose his shit when he finds out."

"I'm only keepin his ass alive to get my hands on someone much tastier, he's nothin special."

Mizuiro whimpers loudly as Grimmjow reaches out a hand, tangling it in his hair and tugging harshly.

"Really...and who would that be? One of those elite slayers?"

"Nah, some orange haired kid I met last night."

Grimmjow frowns, letting go of Mizuiro.

"Some _kid_? The _fuck_ , Nnoitra?"

"It's not just some stupid kid alright, but I ain't tellin you anythin else, now piss off already ya nosy bastard."

Grimmjow gets back to his feet, tapping a finger on his chin.

"You know, it would be pretty bad for you if Ulquiorra does find out you brought a human kid here..."

Nnoitra stares over at him, narrowing his lone eye.

"Yer point is?"

"Well, I can make sure he doesn't find out, as long as you let me see this kid you're so interested in."

"And why do you suddenly give a fuck about what I'm interested in?"

"Cause I'm bored as shit here, especially with that pale bastard breathing down my neck twenty four seven like an asthmatic Chihuahua."

Nnoitra clicks his tongue, frowning in thought.

"Tch, fine, ya can come with me."

" _Sweet_. When are you going?"

"When it gets dark. I got the runts scent so it won't be too hard to find him again."

Grimmjow grins, licking his lips and turning to stare back down at Mizuiro, a dangerous glint in his eye's.

"Sounds like a whole lot of fun to me."

* * *

 **Uh oh, poor Mizuiro!**

 **Sorry for the long wait for another chapter, I've had a hard time writing anything at the moment, but I managed to eventually get this done.**

 **I'm pretty excited about writing the next chapter, because what can I say, I love writing the bloody and evil scenes XD and I definitely love writing the GrimmIchi ones!**

 **Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the latest chapter :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Damn it, he should have gone and looked for Mizuiro sooner, how could he be so stupid?

Although there's a slim possibility he just ran off and what he saw last night scared him so much he's locked himself inside his house, Ichigo can just feel in his gut that somethings seriously wrong.

That lanky bastard must have taken him last night, even though he was injured badly by that female slayer, Rukia.

 _But to where?_

Pausing to catch his breath down a lonely side street, Ichigo bangs his fist against the brick wall.

What the hell should he do now?

He could go back to Urahara's and ask them for help, but it doesn't seem like a very good idea. After all, they're not gonna be pleased to find out Ichigo hid this from them.

It might even be something they'd kill him for.

No, they wouldn't go that far...

Probably.

 ** _Rustle rustle_**

Ichigo tenses at the sound, his eyes widening a fraction.

 _Someone's right behind him._

Bringing his fist up, he growls and spins on his heel, aiming straight for the others face.

Shinji rolls his eyes with a scoff, easily catching his fist.

"Jeez, you sure are tense today."

Ichigo grunts, pulling his fist free and letting his arm drop back to his side.

"Well after what happened last night can you blame me?"

"Suppose not, it's probably a good thing you're more on guard now," Shinji concludes.

Ichigo notices that Shinji's not wearing his black military like attire, instead he's sporting a black shirt and tie with grey pants, topped off with a long grey trench coat.

"How come you're not in the same stuff as last night? And why don't you have your sword with you?"

"Cause, _idiot_ , I'd draw to much attention wearing that stuff in broad daylight, wouldn't I? And I do have my sword with me," Shinji shifts the trench coat aside slightly, and Ichigo clearly see's the Zanpakuto carefully sheathed against his belt.

"Besides, I'm not on duty right now, I'm just hanging around town trying to find something to do to pass the time."

"And you just happened to stumble across me, huh?" Ichigo asks, narrowing his eyes.

Shinji grins, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

"Well, you got me there. I've been following you since you ran from school, you just didn't notice me until now. If I were you I'd really work on that, if you don't wanna get yourself killed anytime soon that is."

Ichigo scoffs, starting to stride past Shinji before he loses his damn temper, and besides, now's not the time to be chit chatting, he has to find Mizuiro.

"Where are you off to in such a rush then?"

Ichigo pauses, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Why do you care?"

"Call it intuition, but it feels like you're hiding something. Am I right?"

Ichigo gulps.

What is this guy, psychic? How the fuck is he able to read him that easily?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo mumbles.

"You always have to make everything difficult, don't you?"

Before Ichigo can respond a hand clamps around his upper arm, pushing him against the brick wall of the side street roughly.

"Ouch, you son of a bitch let go!" Ichigo growls, trying to pry the hand off, but damn, this guy is a hell of a lot stronger than he looks, his damn grip is like iron.

Shinji grabs Ichigo's free hand and forces it above his head, ignoring Ichigo's angry protests and struggles to break free.

"I'm starting to get the feeling you like to be manhandled," Shinji chuckles, and Ichigo flushes in embarrassment, his scowl deepening.

"You creepy bastard! Let go of me or I swear I'll-"

"You'll do what, exactly? We both know right now you're no match for me, and you're in position to be giving me orders."

As much as it pains him, Shinji is right. The difference in strength is obvious, since Ichigo can't even get Shinji's grip to give an inch.

"How about this then. You tell me what you're being so secretive about, and I'll personally devote my time and effort into training you up."

Ichigo's eyes widen.

"You'll...train me?"

"Yeah, Urahara was talking about it earlier. He was gonna train you himself, but he isn't like you and I Ichigo, he doesn't fully understand the power or the lure of the darkness inside us."

"I've got that under control, I've still got my serum-"

"But even with you serum, you wanted to sink your teeth into your friends neck last night, didn't you?"

"No, I would never do that!" Ichigo barks.

"You don't get much of a choice once the darkness takes over I'm afraid. You can't just take the serum alone, not forever. Before you know it, the effects will start to wear off, and you'll be powerless to stop yourself from killing the people you love."

 _Just like his mum did._

"What are you saying? What else could there be?"

"Ah ah, answer my question first, then I'll tell you."

What other choice does he have but to spill his guts to Shinji now? It's obvious he's not going to get anywhere by running around town like a headless chicken all day, that's for sure. The only slim chance of finding Mizuiro, whether he's dead or alive, lies with Shinji.

"Last night, there wasn't just me and Keigo at the river bank," Ichigo begins, watching Shinji's reaction carefully. When Shinji just stares back at him evenly, Ichigo continues, taking a deep breath to keep his voice steady.

"My other friend, Mizuiro, was there too. When that vampire attacked, I told Mizuiro to stay back and let me handle it. I don't know whether he saw anything that happened, but he just disappeared after. I thought maybe he had run back home out of fear, but when he didn't turn up to school today and wasn't answering any of Keigo's calls or texts, I knew that fucker had something to do with it."

His heart is hammering in his chest as he finishes, expecting Shinji to lose his temper, curse furiously at him, maybe even hit him. But he doesn't.

Shinj releases his hold on Ichigo altogether, a sad look in his eyes as he slowly shakes his head. It's almost like he's disappointed in Ichigo, rather than being angry at him.

"And you didn't think to tell any of us this because?"

Although Shinji speaks evenly, there is a sharp edge to his words, an edge that makes Ichigo's stomach churn uneasily.

"I, I didn't know what you guys were capable of, I didn't want to drag Mizuiro into something dangerous if I didn't have too. I was just trying to protect him!" Ichigo insists, but in all honesty he's not sure whether he's trying to convince Shinji or himself.

Did he really do it just to protect Mizuiro, or was it more to do with the fact that he just wanted to run away from that place as fast as he possibly could like a damn coward?

"There would be no reason for him to take your friend unless he had an ulterior motive, after all, it's pretty risky to do that now that they know we're closing in on them."

"Ulterior motive?"

Shinji frowns at Ichigo, his mouth hanging open in disbelief as if Ichigo is asking the most stupid question he's ever heard.

"I thought the reason was pretty obvious, or are you even more stupid than I first thought?"

"Stop calling me stupid, dammit! Look I get it, I shouldn't have concealed this, but I was just trying to protect my friend!"

" _Tch_ , sure you were."

Reaching into his coat, Shinji pulls out an all too familiar walky talky.

"Wait...you're not telling the others about this are you?" Ichigo questions, panic pooling in his gut.

"Of course I am dumb ass, I have to follow protocol after all," Shinji states, bringing the walky talky up to his lips.

Before he can press the button, Ichigo launches himself forward, enclosing a hand over Shinji's and shaking his head furiously.

"Please, if Mizuiro is still alive they'll want him killed won't they?"

"Probably, but that's not my problem."

"How can you be so heartless?" Ichigo seethes, refusing to release his grip even when Shinji tries to tug away.

"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm a fucking half breed monster," Shinji spits back sarcastically.

"Don't give me that crap! Haven't you ever had someone you cared about, someone you'd protect, even if it meant risking your own life? Because that's exactly what I'd do for any of my friends!"

Shinji's eyes widen, and Ichigo can see recognition flash in his eyes, but it's replaced quickly by frustration.

"That's none of your business! What would you have me do anyway, hmm?"

"You can help me find where they're hiding and find Mizuiro!"

"Like hell I can! I'm good, but I can't take on a clan of vampires on my own, and you'll be no good to me in this state, you'd only get in my way."

"Please..." Ichigo as good as begs, his fingers tightening around Shinji's hand.

Sighing heavily, Shinji averts his gaze to the other side of the alley.

"Ichigo, I understand that he's your friend, but you do realise that vampire's only doing this to lure you back to him, don't you?"

"I do," Ichigo nods.

Shinji tugs his hand free, lowering the walky talky down to his side.

"He won't come out until night anyway, you might as well carry on as normal until then. Come back to this spot once school ends and I'll meet you here," Shinji mutters as he puts the walky talky away.

Hold on a minute...

Now he's suddenly willing to help him? What the hell is with this guy? It's like he has a spilt personality disorder or something!

Not that Ichigo should be complaining about Shinji's sudden change in attitude.

As Shinji strides past him and heads back out the alley, Ichigo can't help but call out to him one more time.

"Wait! Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?"

Shinji pauses at the mouth of the alley, casting a quick glance over his shoulder.

"I have my reasons. Just be ready to go when we meet back up."

And with that he's gone, leaving Ichigo alone once again.

Okay, he should try to calm down and head back to school like Shinji said. Although he'd love nothing more than to keep searching and to find Mizuiro right now, he knows deep down that it's no use.

Straightening out his ruffled uniform, he reluctantly makes his way back to school, eagerly waiting for the end of school.

* * *

When he gets back to class he apologises to his teacher, Miss Ochi, before taking his seat.

Keigo keeps trying to get his attention from the other side of the room but he ignores him. He can't afford to get himself a detention today by talking in class, he's already skating on thin ice by turning up so late.

And as expected, Keigo tackles him as soon as it's lunch time, and all Ichigo can tell him is that he couldn't find anything either, but he'll look again after school. It seems to somewhat satisfy his worried friend, but Ichigo notices he doesn't touch his lunch, spending all of lunch on the other side of the rooftop messing with his phone.

* * *

As soon as he get's out of the school grounds he runs as fast as he can, back to the spot he'd been with Shinji earlier.

He's a little surprised to find the blonde already waiting for him, now dressed in his military like attire under his loose grey coat.

Now that he see's Shinji again, the reality of what he's about to risk is starting to hit him. He's had no training, hell, he doesn't even have a Zanpakuto to cut them with. In all honesty, the odds of him even surviving are looking bad. But Shinji is trained for this, so in this case Ichigo will do whatever he can do help the other, just as long as Mizuiro is found.

"You got here pretty fast Ichigo, are you that eager to die tonight?" Shinji asks him seriously.

"No," Ichigo sighs, putting his school bag down on the floor. He rifles in it until he finds his serum, uncapping the needle and lifting his shirt. Shinji watches him quietly until he's finished, then takes a sheathed dagger out of his belt, holding it out to a confused Ichigo.

"You're giving me a dagger? But I thought only a Zanpakuto could kill them?" Ichigo says as he takes the offered weapon.

"That _is_ a Zanpakuto, they come in different forms than just ordinary looking swords. There's no time right now to teach you how to properly attack and defend with a long sword like most of us use. But it's pretty easy to use a dagger as long as you can get close enough, and if you hit the right vital spot's it can be just as effective as a long sword against them."

"So, I'm going to have to fight too?"

"Depends, but hopefully I can handle it without you getting involved. Do you still have that vial I gave you?"

Ichigo produces it out of his pants pocket, showing it to the other.

"Good, keep it in reach. Hide that dagger while it's still light out, we don't want to be causing a panic in the streets do we?"

Slipping the dagger into his belt and pulling his shirt back over it, Ichigo follows Shinji back out on to the quietening streets.

"Aren't the others going to be wondering where you are?"

"Nah, not until later tonight anyway. Don't worry about it, I'll just tell them I'm patrolling one side of town, they won't know any different," Shinji tells him, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

Ichigo opens his mouth to thank him for doing this, because he knows Shinji could get in deep shit for it, but something inside him tells him now isn't the right time. He should just accept the help and thank him later when everything is over.

So they walk in silence for a while through the streets, avoiding eye contact with each other and keeping their eyes dead ahead.

It soon becomes apparent where they are headed, the familiar grassy hill of the riverbank coming into view. Thankfully, the area seems to be deserted right now too, most people still being stuck at work or spending time in the more populated areas of town.

But how does Shinji know-

"I can smell the scent of a vampire here, more specifically, his blood. It's mingled with human blood, which I'm guessing is your friends," Shinji suddenly pipes up.

As they pause at the top of the riverbank, Shinji glances back at Ichigo.

"Tell me, do you smell them too, Ichigo?"

The question makes Ichigo uncomfortable, because he doesn't know the right answer to give. He can smell...something off in the air, a hint of sweetness tingling his nose. But there's also something else, something that smells more bitter and stronger, sort of like coffee.

Well, he might as well just be honest.

"I can smell something sweet, and something like...coffee?"

Shinji smirks, starting to walk down the riverbank, Ichigo now hot on his tail.

"Human blood always has a sweet hint to it, which can differ slightly depending on the person. Some smell like strawberries, while others can smell like vanilla. More I think about it, it's probably something to do with blood types. Anyway, vampire blood is the opposite, it usually smells bitter, like coffee. There's not really much difference between smells there, although some smell more pungent than others, but I have no idea why."

Wow, his very own lesson on the delicious variations of blood. They sure don't teach this in high school biology lessons.

"If that's true, what does our blood smell like? I mean, it's a mix of the two, and that vampire seemed really confused by my scent."

"I hate to sound cliche, but it smells sort of bittersweet, I've injured myself enough times in battles so I've had plenty of times to sniff it."

 _Interesting._

When they reach the small groove under the bridge, the smell is a lot stronger, and Ichigo can see the various patches of now dried blood around the area.

Shinji studies them and sniffs the air, which reminds Ichigo of a wolf trying to pick up a scent.

"This big patch here is the vampire's blood," Shinji grimaces as he crouches down, running a fingertip over the patch.

Ichigo knows that he's right, he remembers Rukia stabbing Nnoitra here.

"Looks like Rukia got him real good, _nice_ ," Shinji chuckles, standing back up and looking around.

"So, why did we come back here?"

"I was hoping to follow a blood trail, but it seems someone has taken the time to make sure there's no blood scent leading away from here."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, apart from these patches, the blood trail that vampire left when he was injured, I can't pick it up. One of them must have been back here and took care of it so that I can't track where they're all fucking hiding."

"So, what do we do now?" Ichigo asks, scratching the back of his neck.

Shinji sits down on the dirt ground, folding his legs underneath himself.

"We wait for night fall."

"Here?" Ichigo frowns.

"Yeah, he took your friend to lure you out, and he's betting on you coming back here tonight looking for him. So, we'll wait until he comes out to play, it's only an hour or two until sunset anyway."

Ichigo huffs, wanting to do something, anything but just sitting here, but he has to patient and listen to Shinji, he's the amateur here. So he sits down, taking out his phone and quickly dialling a familiar number.

"Who're you calling?"

"My Dad, I'll tell him I'm staying at a friends for the night, that way he won't worry about where I am."

Shinji nods in understanding, staring back at the shimmering river in front of them.

As Ichigo waits for his Dad to pick up the phone, he mentally starts to pray that he doesn't lose his nerve, or his control tonight.

* * *

"Feeding time for the mighty Espada lieutenant is it?"

Ulquiorra tugs on his thick, black coat, casting a disapproving look at Grimmjow who is smoking against the wall of the narrow, dimly lit corridor.

"I _do not_ appreciate your tone, Grimmjow."

"I _do not_ give a fuck, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow mocks, taking a drag and blowing out a puff of smoke in Ulquiorra's direction.

Ulquiorra angrily swats the smoke away, narrowing his eyes.

"I take it you do not value your head, behaving so disrespectfully to a superior."

"We both know you aren't gonna do shit to me, not without Lord Aizen's approval."

With a sneer, Ulquiorra turns towards the bolted door, unlocking it before stepping out in the night without another word.

Grimmjow closes the door with a loud bang, the night breeze irritating him.

"Oi, is the coast clear or what?" Nnoitra growls as he comes down the corridor, elbowing a smoking Grimmjow in the side.

"Ulquiorra just left to go feed across town, we're good," Grimmjow replies, taking a last drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out on the ground.

Nnoitra hoists the wriggling, tied up Mizuiro over his shoulder, digging his sharp nails into the teenagers back when he almost manages to hit him.

"Fuckin brat, stop strugglin or I'll slit yer throat right here and now!"

Mizuiro stills immediately, going as good as limp in the others hold.

Grimmjow quirks an eyebrow at the quick response, tucking his hands into his jeans.

"Kid's real obedient, isn't he? Sure you don't wanna keep him for a while, it could be fun."

Nnoitra snorts, striding over to the door.

"Where's the fun in that? I don't want an obedient little bitch, I want a _real_ challenge."

Grimmjow shrugs, following Nnoitra into the darkening, cool night air.

"Good point. So where are we gonna find this other kid?"

"I know exactly where he'll be, looking for his little friend here. Just follow me and don't drag behind because I ain't slowing down for yer ass."

"Tch, it's not like I could lose sight of you anyway you fuckin giant," Grimmjow smirks.

"WATCH IT!"

* * *

Ichigo blows out another bored sigh, now laying down on his back and staring up at the darkening sky. It seemed to be taking so much longer for the night to come today, or at least it sure feels like it.

"Stop sighing so loud already," Shinji grumbles from next to him.

With a groan, Ichigo pushes himself into a sitting position.

"Sorry, I'm just getting a little restless. I just want to find Mizuiro already, I'm sick of waiting around."

"You care about him that much?"

The question startles Ichigo, especially with Shinji now staring at him intently, as if he's trying to catch him out in a lie. Why would he be out here again and willing to put his own life on the line if he didn't give a damn?

"Of course I do, he's my friend, and he doesn't deserve any of this. Why do you seem so suspicious of that?"

Shinji shrugs.

"I have my reasons."

"That's the second time you've said that today. I get it, you have stuff you don't want to talk about. But why would I be here if I didn't care about Mizuiro? It would be easier for me to just forget about it and carry on as if it never happened. But I couldn't do that, I have to save him. Are you satisfied now?"

"It's nothing personal, Ichigo."

"You've said that before too," Ichigo scoffs, but there's an air of playfulness to his words. Shinji catches on to it, and he chuckles lightly.

"I tend to repeat myself a lot, eh? I better start working on that, can't have people getting bored with me."

"I find it hard to believe anyone could get bored around you Shinji," Ichigo smiles, and when Shinji's expression turns to surprise, Ichigo feels his stomach do a weird flip flop.

"I mean...you're fun to talk too," Ichigo adds lamely, mentally smacking himself for doing so. He seriously doesn't know when to stop talking, and now he can feel his cheeks firing up as Shinji stares at him.

Now that Ichigo thinks about it, Shinji is pretty good looking, although he can be kind of distant and can come across as a heartless jackass.

Damn, he has to stop this train of thought before it gets any further. He has way to much going on in his life right now to even think about getting into a relationship with anyone.

"You're blushing," Shinji states, and Ichigo can see a smirk tugging at the blondes lips.

Ichigo turns his face away quickly, the embarrassment of being caught out only making his cheeks even hotter.

He almost gasps out loud as fingers grab his chin, making him turn his face back towards Shinji, who is now a lot closer to him.

Ichigo's heart starts to skip a few beats at the sudden closeness.

"Shinji..." he begins, only to be cut off by an angry, static voice filling the quiet air.

 _"HIRAKO WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? IT'S ALREADY DARK AND YOU HAVEN'T SHOWN UP AT BASE YET!"_

Shinji rolls his eyes and leans away from Ichigo, unhooking the walky talky from his belt.

"Jeez keep your hair on Abari, you keep on loosing your temper like this and your gonna give yourself a heart attack."

 _"SHUT UP! ANSWER MY QUESTION, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? WE'RE GETTING READY TO START PATROLLING!"_

Shinji stares at Ichigo for a few moments before he replies.

"I'm already out patrolling."

 _"What? Since when are you so eager to start patrolling?"_

Ichigo can tell even over the walky talky that Renji is suspicious.

"I'm gonna get in trouble now for wanting to do my job? Well isn't that _delightful_."

There is an abrupt silence from the other end, and Ichigo wonders if maybe Renji broke his walky talky in frustration.

 _"Fine, just drop in later and keep us up to date."_

"Will do," Shinji agrees before putting away the walky talky again.

"What was with the sudden change in attitude?" Ichigo asks.

"He probably got sick of arguing with me," Shinji shrugs.

But Ichigo can sense somethings off with the reaction, especially when Shinji can't seem to look him in the eyes all of a sudden.

Just as he is about to open his mouth and push for more of an answer, an all too familiar sweet smell hits his nostrils.

 _Blood, human blood._

Shinji roughly yanks Ichigo to his feet by his arm, before turning around and unsheathing his Zanpakuto.

Ichigo moves his hand down to his side, ghosting next to the dagger in his belt, but something in his gut tells him not to pull it out yet.

"Well well, ya brought _another_ slayer friend with ya boy?" Nnoitra smirks as he stalks towards the groove.

The first thing Ichigo notices is something slung over the vampire's shoulder. No, not something, _someone_.

"MIZUIRO!" Ichigo yells, starting to move forward.

"STOP!" Shinji orders, latching onto Ichigo's arm to keep him still.

Nnoitra stops a few feet away from them, taking Mizuiro off his shoulder and dumping him at his feet.

Ichigo can smell the blood from here, and he can see some of it smeared on Mizuiro's shirt collar.

 _Have they been feeding on him?_

"Ya been lookin for this pathetic sack of meat?" Nnoitra questions, his thin lips curling up into a malevolent smile.

"You bastard," Ichigo hisses, his eyes watching the completely still Mizuiro lying on the ground for any signs of movement so he knows that hes at least okay. The good thing is that Ichigo can see he's not dead at least, as he can see the slow rise and fall of Mizuiro's chest.

"So what now, Espada? You gonna hand the kid back over to us the easy way, or the hard way?" Shinji asks, his fingers twitching on the handle of his Zanpakuto.

"Ya sure talk big, don't ya? How about we do this the easy way and the Berry hands himself over to me, and ya can take this kid back, unharmed. Well, mostly unharmed anyhow. I got a little thirsty on the way here so I stopped for a quick drink."

Shinji grimaces in disgust, his eyes narrowing as he glances around the grassy riverbank.

"Seems you're not as dumb as you look. This time you brought a friend with you too."

Nnoitra frowns, obviously surprised at being caught out so easily.

"What? How can ya... _ah_ , I see," Nnoitra grins, sniffing at the air.

" _See what_?"

"Ya smell a lot like the carrot top over there, slayer. Why is that I wonder?"

Ichigo glances behind him and up the riverbank, sensing that he's being watched. His sense of smell isn't as trained as Shinji's, because he can't really pick up on anything apart from Mizuiro's blood right now. But someone else is definitely out there, he can feel it in his very bones.

"Ichigo."

"Shinji?" Ichigo asks as he turns back around.

"Since this fuckers not alone, I don't know if I can protect you as well as getting your friend out of harms way. Do you get what I'm saying?"

He can't just rely on Shinji, he has to protect himself.

"Got it," Ichigo nods, "just make sure Mizuiro is safe."

"Aww, how very sweet of ya to care what happens to this piece of trash," Nnoitra chides, and he nudges Mizuiro with the tip of one of his black boots, earning a small whimper from the body on the ground.

"Don't you touch him!" Ichigo growls heatedly, his hand twitching to go for his dagger and just launch himself at the smirking bastard, consequences be damned.

"Or what? Ya think a weak little thing like y-"

Shinji suddenly rushes forward, so fast that if you had blinked you could have missed him move, slicing his Zanpakuto at Nnoitra.

Nnoitra steps back and quickly produces his own blade from inside his black coat, and the two long swords clash with a loud clang that rings out in the night air.

Taking the opportunity Ichigo rushes forward and slips his arms under Mizuiro's armpits, dragging him off to the side and out of harm's way. Apart from a few whimpers Mizuiro doesn't respond to him, his eyes closed and his body limp.

"Mizuiro? You need to wake up," Ichigo urges, tapping him on the cheek to try and elicit a response.

With a low groan Mizuiro rolls his face to one side, and Ichigo gasps, quickly turning his face away and clamping a hand over his nose.

The blood on Mizuiro's neck is congealing now, so there isn't a risk of him bleeding out any time soon from the bite wound. But the smell...

Ichigo chokes on the pure strength of it, the sweetness seeming to block up his throat and making it harder and harder to breathe, to even think coherently.

As much as he doesn't want to leave his friends side, if he doesn't he'll probably do something he can't take back.

Laying Mizuiro down as gently as he can, Ichigo quickly moves a few feet away, taking deep breaths and forcing himself to focus on Nnoitra and Shinji, not the blood.

After a few moments of staring and pulling himself back to his senses, Ichigo realises that Nnoitra's sword looks a lot like a Zanpakuto...but it couldn't be, could it?

Shinji stares down at the sword that keeps blocking his attacks, his hand shaking as he manages to force Nnoitra's sword back a few inches.

"Is that sword what I think it is, _Espada_?"

Nnoitra cackles like a wild man, applying more force to his blade and sending a startled Shinji stumbling backwards a few feet.

"A Zanpakuto? Does that surprise ya, _slayer_? Only the members of the Espada clan have been given them to cut down the scum that dares get in our way."

 _Oh fuck._

This is bad, really bad. Ichigo doesn't know how he can help, if he tried to do anything rash he'd only get in Shinji's way, and that could result in them all getting killed. So what should he do?

"You vampires do realise you're all nothing but pawns to Aizen, and when he's done with you, he'll throw you away like you're nothing more than dirt under his shoe."

Nnoitra shrugs, twirling his Zanpakuto between his long fingers.

"I don't really give a fuck about that, as long as I get to kill and feed as much as I want along the way!"

Keeping his eyes on the exchange, Ichigo slips his hand underneath the hem of his shirt, his fingers gripping the cool handle of the dagger. He shouldn't do anything right now, but if an opening presents itself he's sure going to take it.

As he takes the dagger out, a strong hand grips onto his wrist tightly.

"You're a lot prettier than I was expecting," a deep voice husks next to his ear.

Ichigo shivers involuntarily, trying to rip his hand free from whoever is behind him, but another hand clamps over his mouth, threatening to cut off his oxygen if he doesn't stop struggling.

"How about you be a good boy and we just watch the fun for now, hmm?"

Ichigo shakes his head furiously, trying to sink his teeth into the hand on his mouth, but the grip on his wrist tightens so painfully that he can feel his bones creak under the pressure. The intense jolt of pain causes him to stop trying to get free and focus all concentration on not screaming.

The dagger clatters uselessly to the ground below, Ichigo starting to lose feeling in his hand.

"ICHIGO!" Shinji yells, but as he tries to move towards him Nnoitra blocks his way.

"Ya ain't done with me yet!" Nnoitra sneers, swinging his blade right for Shinji's head, but thankfully the slayer manages to duck out of the way before he loses his head.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY YOU JACKASS!" Shinji booms, trying to force the other back with the brute force of his own blade. But it does no good, Nnoitra not giving an inch.

Now that he's no longer fighting back, the grip lessens, and Ichigo can already feel the blood flowing back into it, accompanied by the uncomfortable sensation of pins and needles. Knowing there isn't anything he can do right now, Ichigo glances back over his shoulder, wanting to get a real good look at whoever is behind him.

He's met with the sight pair of sea blue eyes staring down at him with an intensity he's never felt before, a feral smirk on the man's lips as he flicks his tongue across his elongated white fangs.

"You know, you shouldn't have brought that slayer with you Berry. Do you want me to tell you what Nnoitra's gonna do to him? You see, he likes to draw his kills out real long, making his food scream out until it can't scream no more, until it starts to _beg_ " the taller male goads, some blue bangs falling across his face as the wind seems to pick up around them.

 _ **Ya should rip his throat out, smug son of a bitch. What he needs is teaching a lesson, don't ya agree, Ichi?**_

Bewildered, Ichigo glances around the area for the source of the new, eerie voice, but he can't find one.

 _ **Dipshit, ya ain't gonna find anything lookin around. I'm not out there, I'm in yer pretty lil head.**_

Before he can respond to the voice his chin is gripped from behind roughly, the hand forcing him to turn his attention back to Shinji and Nnoitra.

"Pay attention or you're gonna miss out on all the fun, and we can't have that can we?"

Ichigo's heart thumps against his rib cage as he see's that Nnoitra is now clearly gaining the upper hand in the fight, Shinji's coat now torn in several places, patches of what is obviously blood seeping through his coat.

Nnoitra seems thrilled with this, a maniac grin on his thin lips as he continues to slash his blade forward relentlessly.

 _Dammit he can't just fucking stand here!_

Ichigo has to do something, he has to get free of this guy's grip somehow and...

Something cold brushes against the side of his neck as his shirt collar is roughly yanked to the side.

"MMPH!" Ichigo protests as the blue haired vampire leans down, skimming a hot wet tongue across his skin.

Out of the corner of his eye Ichigo can see the man slowly lick his lips, savouring the taste of Ichigo on his tongue. The thought of that makes Ichigo shudder, a mixture of fear and arousal suddenly pooling in his stomach, and he immediately hates himself for it.

"Damn, even the taste of your skin is fuckin delicious, your blood must be off the rails," the vampire growls heatedly.

The animalistic growl stirs something else inside of Ichigo, making his skin feel way too hot and his head start to swim so badly that he fears he's going to lose consciousness if he doesn't get away from this man. No, he's not a man, that's not the right word.

If he doesn't get away from this _predator_.

Ichigo has to concentrate on staying conscious and clearing his mind, because he can't fight back if he's unconscious, can he?

And if he does go unconscious, god knows what this beast might do to him...

 _Ouch!_

Ichigo bites back a scream as fangs sink into the side of his neck, the sharp pain similar to two needles being forced into his skin.

The grip on him becomes tighter, a heavy groan reverberating against his skin as the vampire starts to greedily drink from him.

 _ **Are ya seriously just gonna stand here and let him bite ya?**_

There's that voice again, but Ichigo can tell now that it's definitely coming from inside of his head, not from someone else around.

 _ **Use the damn stuff in the vial that slayer gave ya, unless ya want to get drained dry!**_

his other hand is still free, probably because the vampire behind him doesn't view him as a threat, even if he did try to punch him or slap him. But with this hand free...

Keeping his eyes dead ahead and trying to ignore the pain, Ichigo sneakily slips his hand into his pants pocket, feeling relief start to bubble in his chest as his fingers brush against the cold vial.

The vampire is too preoccupied in drinking from him to notice Ichigo's change in demeanour, breathing low groans against Ichigo's skin as he drinks and drinks. If he carries on for much longer Ichigo will lose consciousness, he already feels slightly dizzy on his feet.

As he brings the vial out of his pocket and to his side he gently uncaps it, praying it doesn't make any noise.

He's only got one shot to do this right, and to get his aim spot on, which won't be easy with the state of his head right now.

Some of the liquid will probably get on his skin too, but it can't be helped, he'll just have to hope it heals and doesn't do too much damage.

 _Here goes nothing!_

Ichigo brings the vial up in a swift motion, scrunching his own eyes shut as soon as he throws the liquid at his intended target.

"AHH SHIT!"

The fangs are instantly torn free from his flesh, and he stumbles forward and out of the vampire's weakened grip.

His eyes flicker open as he turns back around to see the vampire hunched over, his hands clamped over his eyes as he hisses and stumbles.

" _Shit_ ," Ichigo hisses as his own neck starts to burn furiously. Yeah, he knew some of it would get on his skin too, and Shinji sure as hell wasn't exaggerating when he said it was like acid. For a second Ichigo feels a little bad for throwing this in the blue haired vampire's eyes, but that soon goes.

He shouldn't feel bad, the fucker deserved every last drop of it.

"YOU LITTLE MOTHERFUCKER! WAIT UNTIL I GET MY DAMN HANDS ON YOU! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER FUCKING BORN, YOU HEAR ME?"

"GRIMMJOW WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YA?" Nnoitra yells, blood now streaming down his face from a deep slash on his forehead.

Shinji is worse off from their fight, now down on his knees as he coughs, blood spattering from his lips and onto the dirt ground.

Ichigo glances between Mizuiro and Shinji, not knowing what to do now that he's actually free.

"HIRAKO!"

Ichigo spots Renji just before Nnoitra does, and their blades clash, Nnoitra being sent flying backwards and colliding with the wall of the groove with a loud _thwack_.

Renji doesn't waste any time in stabbing his Zanpakuto straight through Nnoitra's left side, as good as pinning the vampire to the wall. Nnoitra curses loudly, trying to bring his hands up to remove the blade, but he doesn't seem to be able too lift them far enough.

"Don't bother, soon you won't be able to move your limbs at all," Renji huffs, placing a hand on Shinji's shoulder as the blonde drags himself back to his feet.

"You alright?"

Shinji nods, wiping blood from his mouth on the sleeve of his coat.

"GRIMMJOW HELP ME!" Nnoitra shouts, desperation now obvious in his voice.

Ichigo feels a quick whoosh of air behind him, knowing that Grimmjow is no longer there before he even turns around to confirm it. Of course, Ichigo doesn't blame him. If he stayed, he'd have been nothing short of a fool, especially with his vision being fucked up thanks to Ichigo, but that probably won't be permanent.

He'll be back for revenge, that's for sure.

Shaking the disturbing thought from his mind, Ichigo cringes as he rubs at the side of his neck. The liquid seems to have stopped attacking his flesh now, but it's left behind a more vicious wound than just the bite marks that were there before.

"Dammit!" Renji yells.

"GRIMMJOW YA FUCKER, I'LL MAKE YA PAY FOR THIS!" Nnoitra screams, sweat and blood dripping down his face.

"He left you here to die, didn't he? Just more proof to show that you scum really are beneath us," Renji hisses.

Shinji stumbles over to Ichigo, shifting his face to one side to get a better look at Ichigo's neck.

"How are you feeling, Ichigo?"

"Just a little light headed, but I'm fine," Ichigo insists.

"I warned you not to get that crap on your skin-"

Renji retrieves his walky talky from his belt, bringing it up to his lips.

"Kisuke, I need you to get the black room ready, we got one. And tell Inoue to get ready too, Hirako is injured and so is Kurosaki and another kid."

 _"Alrighty, leave it to me!"_

Renji takes the Zanpakuto out of Nnoitra's side, sending the panting Espada tumbling forward and onto his shoulder.

"I've got him, the paralysis won't wear off for an hour or two anyway. Are you okay to walk back to base Hirako?"

"Yeah I'm good. Ichigo can you help your friend back?"

Ichigo nods, rushing over to pick up his fallen dagger before he goes to a trembling and sweating Mizuiro.

"It's okay Mizuiro, you're safe now I promise," Ichigo tells him as he uses the dagger to cut the rope ties binding him.

Mizuiro takes in a deep breath as the gag on his mouth is removed, slumping against Ichigo.

"I-I-"

"Don't try to talk, you're probably in shock. Let's just get out of here for now and we can talk later."

Before he does anything else Ichigo uses some of the binding to careful wrap around Mizuiro's throat, not tight enough to be uncomfortable, but for some reason it seems to help the sweet smell calm down. Or maybe that's just in his head, but it doesn't really matter as long as it helps him control himself.

Ichigo lifts Mizuiro to his feet as gently as he can, slinging an arm over his shoulder as they once again head back to the slayer base.

There's already a lot of unanswered questions that Ichigo has still, and now he has even more on top of that after tonight.

But first, he's going to have to deal with the fallout of keeping information from the slayers.

 _He's in so much shit._

* * *

 **Well this sure was one long chapter! I considered splitting it into two, but I've not updated in so long that I thought having a nice long chapter might help make up for it.**

 **Pretty soon I'm going to show more of the vampire's hideout and plans, because so far we've only seen snippets but trust me it's coming. I'm trying my best not to just throw more and more details at you and confuse the hell out of you (and probably myself) in the process XD. I'm not sure how long this story is going to be, but it'll probably be quite long :)**

 **So, now the slayers have caught Nnoitra too, it'll be fun to start writing what happens to him, which sounds evil of me haha.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! I really appreciate it :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Arriving back at the Slayer's base once again, Shinji, Ichigo and Mizuiro head straight to the medical bay, and Renji is greeted by Urahara, who helps him with the still paralyzed Nnoitra. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the Vampire's mouth, which continues to spit out profanities, the majority of them aimed at Renji.

Once inside the medical bay, Mizuiro is quickly tugged away from Ichigo, the orange haired teens protests to stay with his injured friend ignored as Shinji begins to drag him by the collar of his shirt out of the medical bay.

"Wait, Mr Hirako and Mr Kurosaki, you should stay here and let me see to your injuries too," Orihime tells them, but Shinji waves a hand dismissively back at her.

"We're fine, don't worry about us. Just see to that kid for now."

Orihime opens her mouth to argue further, but decides against it, concentrating on treating the wound on Mizuiro's neck. Ichigo glances around the room for any sign of the raven haired slayer from last night, but he can't find her anywhere. Maybe she's healed now? Or maybe she's...

"Damn it Shinji, stop tugging so hard, you're gonna choke me!" Ichigo coughs, trying to pry Shinji's fingers off as the blonde drags him down a long, winding corridor. The corridor itself is only lit with a few teal lamps on the walls, the green wallpaper having seen better days as it's hanging onto the wall for dear life.

"Stop whining, we're almost there now," Shinji mutters, and Ichigo stops trying to get free, staring at the other curiously.

"Almost _where_?"

Shinji glances at him, but doesn't offer up an explanation. Ichigo chooses not to press until they get there, figuring he'll find out soon enough anyway. When they reach the end of the corridor they face a set of metal double doors, and on the wall to the left of them is a number keypad. Ichigo watches as Shinji quickly inputs a set of numbers, and the doors unlock with a loud chink.

Inside, they enter a smaller room with a set of bright lights overhead, along with a large glass window in front of a display of monitors. The first thing that comes to mind for Ichigo is this place looks like some sort of room you'd watch a police interrogation in.

Urahara is sat down on a black swivel chair in front of the glass, and he grins at Ichigo and Shinji as they draw closer to him.

"Why hello, we're just setting up the black room right now. Shouldn't you both be seeing to your injures, Mr Hirako and Mr Kurosaki?"

Ichigo touches the wound on his neck, wincing at the sting it brings. But the wound somehow seems less sore, and it seems to be closing already.

"We're not mortally wounded, and we're both already healing anyway. We've both got vampire blood in us, remember?" Shinji tsks, his eyes glancing to the glass screen. Ichigo follows his gaze, and his eyes widen as he takes in the image before him.

The vampire the slayers had recently captured, Nnoitra, is strapped to a medical chair in the centre of the room past the glass, a bright light shining down onto him from the ceiling. Ichigo can see the muslces in the vampires hands and arms tensing, as if he's trying to get his limbs to move.

"I didn't see Rukia up in the medical bay, where is she?"

"Oh, well I did insist she rest for a couple of days, but you know what that one is like, she doesn't like to be out of the action. I belive she's up in the training room as we speak," Urahara smiles.

Shinji remains quiet for a few moments, before he sighs and begins to head for the door.

"Call me back if you need me, I'm going out patrolling again."

"Exscuse me? Mr Hirako, you're wounded-"

"I told you I'm already healing, and besides, that other fucker might not have made it back to his base yet."

Before he realises what he's doing, Ichigo grabs onto Shinji's arm, causing the other to stare at him in confusion.

"Shinji, Urahara's right. You're wounded, you shouldn't chase after that guy alone. He was pretty damn strong, and he just _felt_ evil," Ichigo insists, his grip tightening on the other.

Shinji narrows his eyes, and Ichigo prepares himself for the worst. But surprisingly, the blonde flashes him a wry smile.

"Of course he's right you dimwit, but I've never been one to let being wounded slow me down. I won't do anythin stupid, so don't worry about me, alright?" Shinji tells him, and he pats Ichigo's shoulder reassuringly.

Ichigo still feels worry pooling in his gut, but he can see there's no point arguing further. He nods and releases his grip, watching Shinji's back as he exits the room, the metal doors sliding shut and locking behind him.

"Strange fellow he is. He continues to insist he's not reckless, yet ignores everything I say and throws himself into reckless situations," Urahara mumbles, keeping his eyes dead ahead.

Feeling out of place, Ichigo nervously wrings his hands together, his eyes darting between Urahara and the restrained Nnoitra.

"The paralysis should be wearing off soon, then we can begin."

"Begin?" Ichigo asks, a part of him wishing he hadn't, but his curiosity is getting the better of him.

Urahara hums lightly.

"Tell me, Mr Kurosaki, from what you've witnessed over these past few days, do you believe vampires have souls?"

"That's...an odd question. I mean, from what I've seen they're bloodthirsty and sadistic, but that doesn't mean they don't have souls," Ichigo muses.

"I see. Well, I suppose it can be good to have an open mind," Urahara replies, and from his tone Ichigo can't tell whether he gave the older man the answer he wanted to hear or not.

Suddenly Nnoitra writhes in the chair, pulling at his restraints and snarling like a cornered animal.

"MOTHERFUCKERS! YA WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS, I'M GONNA RIP YER THROATS OUT AND SMEAR THESE FUCKIN WALLS WITH YER BLOOD!"

Urahara hums, taking his fan out of his pocket and placing it in front of his mouth.

"At last. Seems like a charming fellow, doesn't he?"

A stream of light pours in front the right side of the room, the sound of a door swinging open and heavy boots on a tiled floor ringing out across the now silent room. Nnoitra tries to turn his head towards the source, but the straps restraining his head stop him.

Renji, now wearing a long black apron over his uniform drags a small cart into the room behind him, then closes the open door with his boot. He glances over at the glass, giving Urahara a curt nod, which Urahara returns.

Turning back to the cart, Renji tugs on a pair of black gloves and begins fiddling with some metallic instruments.

"What are you guys going to do to him?"

"Hmm? Oh, just the basics really. We give him the opportunity to talk, and to end his suffering quickly. Otherwise..."

Otherwise they torture him? Ichigo knows these guys are bad, but is torturing really okay, even for them? The thought leaves an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"Is...this really the right way to go? I mean-"

"Mr Kurosaki."

"Yes?"

"Do not think we indulge in this kind of thing because we simply enjoy it. We are fighting a war, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that not only we survive, but the humans do too. We need to give ourselves the best survival odds we can, even if it means we have to play a little dirty once in a while. Do you understand?"

Ichigo sighs.

Yeah, the concept itself is understandable, but...stooping down to their level...

"But-"

"So, we do this same rodeo for everyone else, _Espada_. We should give you the same respect, even if you are just _scum_. You tell us what we want to know about Aizen and his whereabouts, and we give you a nice and quick send off. Otherwise..."

Nnoitra scoffs, finally stopping his writhing.

"Ya really expect me to spill my guts so easily? Well sorry princess, but I'm not giving ya shit, whether ya torture me or not."

Renji grabs a pair of tweezers off the cart, scoffing.

"I thought as much, but I had to ask. At least try to hold still for me, won't you?"

Ichigo can only stare as Renji lifts a pair of silver tweezers, one of his hands grasping Nnoitra's chin firmly to keep him from thrashing too wildly.

"GET OFF OF ME BASTARD!" Nnoitra yells, and even from behind the glass screen Ichigo can see the fear in the vampire's wide eyes as Renji shoves the tweezers into his mouth.

Even though vampires are nothing short of bloodthirsty monsters, Ichigo can't bear to look at this, it's just _wrong_.

"GAHHH!"

Ichigo scrunches his eyes shut and turns his face away, his stomach churning at the pain filled scream.

Urahara sighs lightly next to him but doesn't turn away, after all, he's probably more accustomed to this.

Hearing metal chink together, flash images of blood invade Ichigo's mind and his stomach turns. He quickly places his hands over his own mouth, worried he might be about to start gagging.

"Mr Kurosaki, did you take your serum today?"

Ichigo nods, breathing through his nose.

"I only ask because the urge to vomit at the sight, smell or suggestion of blood while taking the serum I created is a sign the serum is beginning to be rejected by your cells," Urahara continues, before another scream echoes around the room through the speakers.

"What?" Ichigo asks as he turns to stare at Urahara.

"Hmm, you should speak with Mr Hirako about it."

"Shinji, why?"

"Well, I try not to poke my nose too much into other people's business, but there was a time when Mr Hirako's body also began rejecting the serum, and it seemed like his fate was unavoidable. However, for some reason he suddenly seemed to recover and stave off his blood thirst again."

Without thinking, Ichigo blurts out the first thing that pops into his head.

"Did he start drinking blood?"

Urahara turns towards him, a strange glint in his green eyes.

"Who can say? I respect Mr Hirako enough not to outright accuse him of such a thing, and as far as I am aware there have been no unusual deaths following his appearance in various cities and states, nor have I caught him with blood in his possession. So, I have left the matter alone, as whatever he is doing seems to be working fantastically for him," Urahara smiles.

Ichigo however, does not feel as nonchalant about the thought of Shinji drinking human blood. He's come to respect the blonde half vampire, seeing as he'd helped him earlier and risked his life to rescue Mizuiro, it only seemed right to show him respect. But if Shinji is really drinking human blood now…does that mean when Ichigo's body eventually rejects the serum, he'll be forced to do the same? The thought alone terrifies him, causing his stomach to twist and churn. If he had food in his stomach, he'd be throwing up right about now. Urahara must sense the sudden uneasiness in him, as the older man gets to his feet and places a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Listen to me, Mr Kurosaki. It is no good for you to worry yourself about the serum being rejected by your body, worrying will not get you anywhere, and it will only hinder the training you will soon have to undergo here. If it will make you feel better, I can begin to monitor your vampire cells by giving you daily blood tests. That way, I will also be able to monitor the rate at which they are overpowering the serum and your body's other cells. Does that sound like an appropriate course of action to you?"

Well, it's not as if he has much of a choice here, but it would put his mind at ease a little to know, so he nods his head in silent agreement.

"Excellent, but you should get comfortable, we may be here for quite a while," Urahara tells the orange haired teenager as he gestures at the glass in front of them. As much as he wants to run away and get the hell out of this room, Ichigo forces himself to pull up a chair from the back of the room and sit down, facing the glass.

His eyes immediately focus in on the blood dripping from Nnoitra's mouth, but he doesn't let his brain latch onto the approaching train of thought, instead choosing to listen intently to what Renji is now saying.

"Must be painful, huh?" The red head sneers, letting the tweezers fall back onto the metal tray with a loud clunk. Nnoitra growls, managing to turn his face just enough to spit bloody saliva right into Renji's face.

"Fuck off ya piece of shit slayer! Ya think this is pain? How pathetic, but what should I expect from a little bunch of rats like ya!" Nnoitra cackles as Renji wipes his face with the back of his sleeve.

When Renji moves his arm away from his face, Ichigo's heart almost stops in his chest at the expression on the slayer's face. He's never seen an expression so full of pure disgust, and something much, much darker, and even though Nnoitra is one of the bad guys here, fear and panic for the vampire laying there as good as helpless rushes through him.

"Well, things are about to get a little more serious now," Urahara mumbles.

Nnoitra's eyes widen as Renji reaches under the metal tray, pulling back a black sheet, and producing a shiny, metal saw. Without batting an eyelid Renji rolls up both of his sleeves, revealing another set of black, tribal like tattoos on both arms, and he places the sharp, jagged side of the saw on the inside of Nnoitra's left arm just below the elbow.

"What the fuck... ya wouldn't dare," Nnoitra hisses, trying to pull his arm away but being stopped by the tight bonds.

"I was being soft on you by going for your teeth first, they grow back, don't they? But I'm pretty sure your limbs don't, right?" Renji sneers, and he presses down on the handle of the saw, scraping it back and forth across the Vampire's skin. Ichigo watches as a wound quickly opens, blood splashing up onto Renji's face, but the reaper either doesn't notice, or he doesn't care.

"STOP IT STOP STOP IT!" Nnoitra howls, arching his back as his face contorts in agony.

As his heart thumps against his ribcage, Ichigo wants nothing more than to just look away from the gruesome scene unfolding before his eyes, but for some reason, he can't. It's as if he's entranced, watching Renji's fluid movements and determination as he wrenches the saw back and forth, more and more blood just spurting onto his apron, his face and arms, and now pooling on the floor below.

 ** _'_ _Ya want it so badly, don't ya?'_** Icy, cold breath blows against Ichigo's ear, and he spins in his chair, his breathe catching in his throat. But no one is there, just the back of the room.

 ** _'_ _Yer not gonna find me out there, King. I'm in yer head.'_**

Ichigo recognizes the unsettling, maniac voice from earlier, when Grimmjow was biting him and drinking his blood.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asks back in his mind. The voice cackles, the shrill sound ringing in his head.

 _'_ ** _Yer only gonna find out if ya give in to yer instincts.'_**

Ichigo swallows, his brown eyes staring back at the scene through the glass. Nnoitra's howls have stopped, but only because the vampire seems to be lost in a daze, his skin even paler than it was before, and sweat openly dripping down his face. His arm from the elbow down is now severed completely, Renji holding the severed limb in his grasp as he eyes the panting vampire.

Blood, it's everywhere, all over the floor, all over Nnoitra, all over Renji and the saw…

 ** _'_ _Blood, oh so delicious blood, I bet that vampires tastes just like heaven'_** the voice giggles.

Blood, blood, blood, blood…. maybe it does taste delicious, Ichigo thinks to himself, staring at the blood still dripping from the limb.

"Mr Kurosaki."

And just like that, Ichigo snaps out of it. He finds himself now pressed up face first against the glass, Renji's wide eyes staring at him, and Urahara's hands gripping onto his shoulders firmly. He stares back over his shoulder in confusion, meeting Urahara's stoic gaze.

"What…why am I- "

Reaching a hand towards the speaker, Urahara addresses the stunned red headed slayer on the other side.

"Mr Abarai, I will leave the vampire in your capable hands for now, I need to take care of something important right away."

"Oh…okay, no problem," Renji replies, placing the limb underneath the metal tray.

"What…" Ichigo begins, before he's being led by his shoulders to the exit of the room.

"You need to come with me, I need to take a look at your blood _immediately_."

Ichigo doesn't argue, he's much too confused and disoriented by what just happened.

* * *

That little punk, blinding him like that!

Grimmjow seethes, crouching low in the dark alleyway he's managed to stumble into. There's no way he can go back to the base like this, not until he's healed. Ulquiorra is going to be fucking furious, but it's not that guy he's worried about. Once word gets back to Aizen about Nnoitra's capture, all of the Espada are going to be in for it. He should've known that giant prick couldn't hold his own, and now he's let himself get dragged into this damn mess.

But on the upside, he's met quite the interesting play thing. That orange haired kid, what was his name again? Ichigo, that was it.

Grimmjow grins to himself, leaning back against the rough alley wall.

Yeah, he seems real _interesting_. And his blood, oh man, that shit is just on a whole other level. Grimmjow can't help but lick his lips at the memory of the taste, the tang of it still present on his tongue. In all his three hundred years, he's never tasted anything quite like it, so sweet but yet with an added bitterness, the perfect balance. That kid sure isn't a normal human, and that makes things even better. At least he won't break as easily, which means there's all the more fun to be had.

But not right now, no. He'll have to bide his time for a while and keep his distance. But keeping his distance doesn't mean he can't keep watch on his new prey, right?

His eyes seem to be slowly healing now, and he blinks a few times. His vision is blurry, but it's coming back again. Whatever that kid threw at him, it sure was some powerful stuff. Ulquiorra never warned them about anything like that. Huh, guess the pompous ass really doesn't know everything then, Grimmjow huffs.

Well, as soon as his vision comes back properly, he'll head back to base and tell them what happened. He sure isn't looking forward to that.

* * *

Urahara steers Ichigo back through the corridor, and Ichigo assumes they're going to the medical bay, but instead he's taken to Urahara's office, the door quickly locked behind him.

"Take a seat Ichigo," Urahara gestures at the chair in front of the desk as he heads over to a wooden cabinet against the wall. Ichigo takes a seat, shifting uncomfortably.

Urahara brings out a long, capped needle from the cabinet, along with a disinfectant wipe and a set of plasters. He wastes no time in pulling up another chair and sitting down next to Ichigo, putting the plasters and needle on the arm of the chair as he tears open the wipe, smoothing it across the skin of the teen's arm.

"Urahara?"

"Hmm?" Urahara hums as he finishes with the wipe and uncaps the long needle.

"You're freaking me out a little."

"I am?" Urahara pauses in his actions, blinking at Ichigo.

"Yeah…why does this need to be done all of a sudden? Did I do something wrong?"

Urahara sighs, averting his eyes.

"As soon as I saw you jump up from that chair, I saw that wild, hungry look in your eyes. That is the look of a vampire on the hunt for blood, Ichigo, that's why we need to check your blood immediately. I fear…"

"What? Just tell me," Ichigo urges, hoping his voice isn't as shaky as he currently feels.

"I fear you may be much farther along in becoming a full blooded vampire than I had anticipated. The effect of your serum seems to be deteriorating, and at an alarmingly fast rate, much quicker than your mother's or Shinji's did."

Urahara pushes the needle into Ichigo's skin, earning a flinch from the other at the sudden sharp sting. The blonde doesn't say anything more as he begins to draw some blood, and Ichigo doesn't push to hear more. Could his serum really be failing so quickly? And if it is, does that mean they'll soon have too…kill him? He doesn't want to end up like his mother, he wants to live. It's not his fault he's like this, why should he have to suffer and die because of something he didn't even choose to begin with?

"All done," Urahara mutters, placing a plaster down onto the small wound as he recaps the needle and shoves it into the pocket of his green robe.

Ichigo rubs at the plaster, closing his eyes as he fights to control his conflicting emotions.

"I'll go and look at this, I think it's best if you stay here for the rest of tonight rather than going home."

Ichigo opens his eyes, but keeps them on the floor beneath his feet.

"Yeah," he sighs.

A small scratching sound begins on the other side of the locked door, catching both Urahara and Ichigo by surprise. Urahara strides over and unlocks it, peeking around the side.

"Hello? Oh, it's just you Yoruichi!" Urahara chuckles, bending down and scooping something up into his arms. Ichigo watches with a scowl on his face as Urahara begins to pet the black, yellow eyed cat in his arms, a goofy grin on his previously glum features.

"Aww, did you miss me so much you had to come looking for me? You're so adorable-"

The cat, obviously not pleased by the affection, swipes at his cheek and hisses.

"And as mean as ever," Urahara pouts, letting the cat jump from his arms and onto the floor. He gently touches his now scratched cheek, sulking like a little kid.

Ichigo is tempted to laugh at the older man, but then he spots the cat that's now jumped onto his lap, staring up at him with those shiny yellow eyes, almost as if it's eyes are boring into his very soul. He leans back in the chair to get some distance, and the cat tilts it's head, seeming to be very curious about him.

"Well, I better get this blood work checked, you and Yoruichi have fun while I'm gone!" Urahara grins, and before Ichigo can protest, the door is shut once again.

Staring down at the cat, Ichigo hesitantly reaches a hand out to pet it. The cat doesn't react at first, but when he's just about to touch its fur…

"That's a good way to get bitten," a bored male voice sighs, straight from the cat's open mouth.

Ichigo freezes, his eyes almost popping out from their sockets. He quickly glances around the room, confirming that he is definitely alone with the cat.

"You…did you just _talk_?"

"Yes, I did. Is that really so surprising after what you've been through lately?" The cat asks, now licking at its paws.

"A TALKING CAT!" Ichigo screeches, jumping up from the chair and sending the cat flying up into the air. The cat easily lands back on its legs on the floor, staring up at Ichigo as he presses himself against the nearest wall, pointing an accusatory finger at the cat.

"WHY ARE YOU TALKING? CAT'S DON'T TALK, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

"Not all cats, but I can, I'm talking right now, or are you deaf as well as dumb, boy?"

"Why you," Ichigo seethes, shaking his fist angrily.

"So, you must be the half vampire boy Kisuke has been telling me about." The cat climbs up onto the desk, sitting on the edge as it stares up at the teenager.

"Wait, Urahara told you about me? Why?"

"Why indeed," the cat chuckles, and in the blink of an eye the cat disappears.

"Huh? Where'd you go?" Ichigo frowns, staring all around the quiet room. It's only as his eyes find the window that he sees it's now open a crack, and he rushes over, staring out into the starless night. He can see the tops of many buildings and street lamps, but no talking cat.

* * *

Shinji, now perched on top of a low brick building, stops for a few moments to try and catch his breath. He's been searching for what feels like a good hour or two, and even though he was sure the other vampire would leave a trail he could follow, it seems he hasn't. These Espada seem to be a lot more experienced and cautious than the other vampires they've previously faced, but this is Aizen's elite force after all, what should they expect?

Aizen…

The very name still boils his blood, and he can feel his half fangs start to ache at the need to rip the bastards throat out for what he did all those years ago. Sooner or later, he will find him and he will be the one to take him down.

His fists ball at his sides, and he growls, inhaling the chilly, night air. No, there's no recognizable trace of the blue haired vampire, that's for sure. It would be best for him to go back and check on Ichigo and the others for now, and plus, he wasn't being so upfront with Kisuke before. Although he does have a healing ability, because he's not a full vampire it only works at half the rate. He can still feel blood seep out from his wounds, but that's only when he makes rapid movements. He should go back and take it easy for the rest of the night, because if there's no trail to follow, he's just wandering around town like a lost little puppy.

Frustration eating away at him, Shinji reluctantly heads back towards the base.

* * *

 **A/N :**

 **New chapter for you guys, sorry it took me so long to get it out, hopefully the next one will be faster. Anyway, I really appreciate it if you are still reading or if you're a new reader, and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter :)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Sat down on a rickety wooden stool, his fingers twisting the intricate dials of the microscope, Urahara's brows furrow in concentration.

"This is not good, not good at all," he mutters to himself, one hand absently rubbing at the stubble on his chin. He twists the dial a few notches to get a closer look, but what he sees in the drop of blood on the slide in front of him doesn't falter. Leaning back from the microscope with a sigh, he gets to his feet, the clack of his shoes loud in the tiny, dimly lit room as he makes his way over to a silver refrigerator. With one tug of the long handle it opens, light puffs of coldness spilling out into the surrounding air. Urahara reaches inside and retrieves a transparent glass bottle, filled to the brim with a pinkish liquid, and closes the refrigerator once again. He brings the bottle up to his eye level, staring uncertainly at the sloshing contents within.

"Well my friend, even though I didn't expect to have to use you so soon, it looks like there may not be any other choice."

* * *

After staring out of the window for a while, it dawns on Ichigo that the strange talking cat is not returning any time soon, so he slouches back over to the chair he had been sat on, his hands resting on his lap. The wound on his neck seems to have now completely closed, and the pain is now only an odd twinge. That's a relief. He was quite sure that blue haired vampire was going to drain him dry. Grimmjow was his name, wasn't it? Yeah, and he has a strong and unnerving feeling he'll be seeing that monster again very soon. As his thoughts wander back to earlier that night, shame starts to bore into him. He remembers the way his body reacted to Grimmjow, the arousal that unwillingly pooled inside of him as he was rendered helpless at the sadistic vampire's mercy. Or at least, so the vampire had thought. But why had he felt that way? Sure, he was bisexual, and he hadn't even worked up the nerve to tell his closest friends, so it wasn't surprising to him that he felt attracted to another guy. But that crazy bastard had been intent on killing him, and had slaughtered who knows how many people over the years. He would admit the guy was hot, and he could feel how muscular and strong he was when the vampire was restraining him, but still, it didn't sit well with him at all.

Shaking his head, Ichigo closes his eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion crashing over him. It's been a long day, and he could use a few hours sleep to replenish his mental and physical energy. It doesn't seem like he's going to go home and be able to lay down in his own bed anytime soon, so he supposes this chair will have to do. He's tired enough to sleep just about anywhere anyway, and after a few minutes of silence, his steady and deep breathing fills the office.

* * *

Stomping to the closed front door, Shinji bangs on it irritably, his eyes glancing around to make sure he's not being watched. He expects to be let in rather quickly, but after tapping his foot impatiently and waiting for a couple of minutes, no one comes to the door. Great, just great. He brings his hand up, intent on ramming it down against the door, but he stops himself, his fist stalling just a few inches shy of the door. He's going to lose his temper and snap, he can feel the hot anger boiling in his veins. It isn't like him to not be able to control his own emotions, unless of course, it involves _him_ …

Gritting his teeth, Shinji bangs on the door again, but not as hard as he was intending to do. If he had, he might well have left a fist sized hole in it. And Urahara would be more than delighted to get Shinji to shell out as much money as he could to repair it.

Finally, the peep hole is opened, a pair of eyes studying him. He opens his mouth to blurt out the password, but the door is already being opened. Blinking in surprise, Shinji comes face to face with Urahara. Immediately Shinji knows something is off, by the way Urahara is just staring back at him, his lips thin and unsmiling. Shinji pushes the door closed behind himself.

"What's with the sour look on your face?"

"Mr Kurosaki is at least eighty percent through his change into a full-blooded vampire."

The color drains from Shinji's face, his brain seeming to short circuit.

"That's…that's impossible. It's way too fast- "

"I also reasoned that, but I'm afraid it's true. I just finished studying his blood in the lab. Most of his human blood cells have been taken over by vampire ones. It's only a matter of time now before…" Urahara trails off, his green eyes gazing at the wooden flooring. The sentence doesn't need to be finished, Shinji knows full well how it ends. 'before he becomes a full vampire, and then we'll have no choice but to end him'.

No. No, he can't let that happen, he can't let Aizen take someone from him again. Because that's who this whole fucking mess leads right back too, doesn't it? He's the one who started this off with his illegal and inhumane experiments all those years ago, and created this damn vampire gene in the first place. It was his fault, and it's about damn time he payed for it.

"Kisuke, I need to ask a favor."

Urahara's gaze turns back to him, and his green eyes seem genuinely surprised by the sudden request.

"A favor? What is it, Mr Hirako?"

"I know you still don't know how I stopped my change, and you don't try to pry either, which I really appreciate. And I'm sure this way can help Ichigo too, but I have to ask that it's kept between me and him, no one else in the team, not even you."

Tense silence drags out between them, Shinji almost being able to see the cogs working in Urahara's mind. He knows that he's asking a lot, and if the higher ups were to find out about this, it wouldn't just be himself being punished. But this is the only option to be able to save Ichigo's life.

"You do realize that if anyone else found out about this, we would be in very serious trouble. Possibly even punishable by death trouble."

"I do, but we can't just resort to killing Ichigo if there's also a chance we can save him," Shinji persists, and Urahara smiles.

"I do agree, Mr Hirako. I suppose the less I and the rest of the team know about this, the better."

Shinji nods, and for the first time since he's met Kisuke, he bows, lowering his head.

"Thank you, Kisuke."

Urahara chuckles as Shinji rises again, a light blush evident on the lanky blonde's cheeks.

"Oh my, Mr Hirako, I never imagined the day I would get such a sincere thank you from you."

"Yeah well, don't expect it again, _ever_ ," Shinji huffs, folding his arms against his chest and sticking out his bottom lip petulantly.

"So, what of the other vampire?"

While being distracted by his heavy thoughts about Aizen and Ichigo, it had completely slipped his mind that the other vampire had managed to elude him, racing back off into the night. And now he was pissed about it all over again.

"I couldn't find him, not even a trace of him. These Espada sure know how to cover their tracks, Aizen trained them well," Shinji mutters, disgust evident in his tone.

"Well, no matter. At least we have managed to capture one of them, and hopefully he will start singing anytime now."

"The other Espadas are going to come searching for him Kisuke, they'll have too. They can't afford for him to be in our hands for too long."

"I'm well aware of that, that's why I've called in some extra help. So, it's probably best you take Ichigo right away," Urahara says, offering out his hand to Shinj. Shinji stares down at it in confusion, hesitantly reaching his own out to wrap around it.

"Please take good care of Mr Kurosaki, I am entrusting him to you, Shinji."

As they both let go after a brief shake, almost like they have just made an unspoken promise, Shinji realizes Urahara just called him by his first name. He can never recall him ever doing that, and it both pleases and unnerves him at the same time.

"Where is Ichigo right now?"

"He's waiting in my office. I trust you can explain the situation to him." Urahara presses a silver key into Shinji's open palm, the key to his office.

"Please lock it again once you leave, and leave the key on the cabinet over there, I'll pick it up later," Urahara tells him, and Shinji's fingers clasp around the cold metal object. He gives Urahara an affirmative nod, and then Urahara tips his hat and begins to walk back down the corridor leading to the medical bay.

"I have some business to attend too, so I will see you soon, Mr Hirako." Unseen by Shinji, a coy smile now plays on Urahara's lips as he strides down the corridor.

Shinji waits until Urahara is out of sight before he lets out a sigh, and begins to make his way towards Urahara's office, which is down the opposite end of the corridor.

He just hopes Ichigo doesn't make a song and dance about all of this, his patience is worn thin enough as it is without having to try to calm and soothe the orange haired brat.

* * *

Shivering now, Grimmjow slams his fist on the metal door. His cyan eyes glance around cautiously, but he's sure no one would have been able to follow him. And even if they had, they wouldn't be able to hide their scent from him. The peep hole in the top of the door is thrown open, a pair of emerald eyes narrowed at him.

"What is the password?"

"For fucks sake, you can see me it's me Ulquiorra now let me in already," Grimmjow growls, the cold starting to seep through his jacket and into his skin.

"You know the rules, Grimmjow. Password."

It takes everything in him to not just kick the damn door in right on Ulquiorra, hopefully squashing the arrogant little prick in the process.

"Fine, _Hogyoku_ , now let me in damnit."

The emerald eyes vanish, and the metal swings inward with a groan. Grimmjow is inside in a flash, thankful to be out of the chilly late night air and back where the wind can't sink its claws into him. But his relief at being out of the cold weather is short lived, as he watches Ulquiorra gaze out of the ajar door, his eyes searching the dimly lit alleyway.

"Where is Nnoitra? I'm aware that you two left together."

A spark of panic ignites in his chest. Had Ulquiorra seen them leave? Because if he did, then the pale fucker surely knows that they had a human with them…a very _alive_ human. If he did, Grimmjow was so _so_ fucked right now.

"Uh, yeah, we did."

"Then where is Nnoitra?"

There's no point sugar coating what happened, either way, Ulquiorra is going to go bat shit crazy. He's only seen the smaller vampire completely lose his temper once, and God, was that a sight he never wanted to see again. And he sure as hell never wanted to be on the receiving end. But it's fine, just stay calm, Grimmjow. If push comes to shove, he can stand his own, he's sure of it.

"The slayers got him."

The door slams shut with a loud bang, echoing down the hallway.

"Would you mind repeating that? I don't believe I heard you correctly."

Oh yeah, he's _pissed._ Grimmjow balls his fists, ready for a fight, as Ulquiorra turns his sharp gaze toward him.

"The slayers captured him, they took us by surprise."

A faint, barely audible growl rises up from Ulquiorra's throat, his eyes narrowing to nothing more than mere slits.

"Did I not make myself clear enough for you pair of buffoons? Under no circumstances were you to put yourselves at risk of being captured- "

"It's not like we fucking did it on purpose, alright? Like I just said, they took us by surprise and- "

Before Grimmjow can finish, the rest of the sentence is cut off by a pale hand curling around his throat, tight enough that he feels his windpipe creak in protest against the pressure.

"Do not talk back to me, you insolent fool, I have had enough of your arrogance and your damn stupidity!" Ulquiorra hisses, now leaning so that his face is merely inches from Grimmjow's own. Grimmjow's own hand flies up to try and loosen the crushing grip on his throat.

"GET…OFF…OF ME!"

"SILENCE! YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY HERE, AND IF YOU KNEW WHAT WAS GOOD FOR YOU, YOU WOULD FINALLY LEARN TO SHUT THAT BIG MOUTH OF YOURS AND DO AS I SAY!" Ulquiorra booms, his voice loud enough to cause Grimmjow's inhumanly sensitive eardrums to start to throb painfully.

"Apologies for interrupting you," a smooth voice echoes from a few paces down the corridor. Grimmjow's eyes automatically find the source, a smirking Szayel, dressed in a white doctor's coat and his hands placed on his lean hips, is watching the pair of them with a bemused expression. The grip on his throat is suddenly released, Grimmjow sliding down the wall as Ulquiorra steps back from him.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to inform you that I received word back from Captain Ichimaru, and he has agreed to send us the extra help we requested. He is on his way as we speak."

Grimmjow, rubbing at his throat (which is bruised at the very least), pushes himself back to his wobbly feet. A raspy cough escapes him, the air feeling like it's full of spikes as it rushes up his throat. He was prepared, and still the bastard had taken him by surprise. But hang on, if Szayel had already called for back up to be sent here…

"You already knew, didn't you?" Grimmjow asks hoarsely, his eyes narrowed at Ulquiorra.

"Of course I did. Did you seriously believe you could keep a living human in my base and I would not know of it? You truly are an arrogant minded fool, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," Ulquiorra scoffs, his emerald eyes refusing to meet Grimmjow's blue ones.

" _Bullshit_."

"I'm sorry?" Ulquiorra asks, his words laced with irritation, but the rage from before seems to have completely evaporated, like some sort of magic trick. Poof! Oh look, it's gone!

"You…heard me. If you knew...why wouldn't you have confronted us?"

"I wanted to see what you two were up too. You and Nnoitra have been playing games with me, and I deemed it only fair I play one of my own with you. There is nothing that happens within my clan that I do not know about, you would do well to remember that from now on. As for Nnoitra, if he is not already dead by the time we find him, then I will make sure I finish him off myself."

"And what are you planning on doing with the body afterwards?" Szayel pipes up.

"I will hand that over to you to do with what you please. Maybe you will discover something useful to our cause in the process."

"So what, you're just gonna stroll into the slayer base and demand they hand him back over? I hate to break it you, Ulquiorra, but we don't even know where that fucking place is."

A dry laugh spills from Ulquiorra's thin lips, and Grimmjow's heart lurches up into his throat, lodging there.

"I know where their base is located, thanks to yours and Nnoitra's stupidity. At least something positive may still be salvaged from this mess."

It dawns on Grimmjow that Ulquiorra, who had just been toying with them in the first place, pretending not to notice what he and Nnoitra were up too, must have been lurking in the shadows, watching their every move. And then when he ran and Nnoitra was captured, he must have followed the slayers back to their base. That sneaky little...

"How? How did they not notice you?"

"That's none of your concern, and frankly, I am bored of talking to you. You are fortunate Szayel interrupted when he had, otherwise these walls may very well have been freshly painted," Ulquiorra tells him, before shoving his hands into his pockets and beginning to stride down the corridor towards Szayel.

"We will wait for our comrade to arrive, which will probably take two days at least, then when the sun sets we will take them by surprise and take back the fifth Espada, along with the lives of any Slayers that we can."

* * *

Sitting behind his desk, his dark grey eyes staring out of the large window before him, Byakuya Kuchiki quietly admires the stunning view outside. The cherry blossoms, now in full bloom, are swaying gently in the breeze, their slow dances captivating him. The day is bright, not a cloud in the clear blue sky, and the warm sun bears down pleasantly on the surrounding forest landscape. It's days such as these he wishes he had the time to go out and enjoy this world's natural beauty at its finest, with a warm cup of green tea in hand. But alas, as a Captain, he has far too many responsibilities to do such a thing.

There is a quiet rap at his door, and he reluctantly tears his gaze from the view.

"Enter."

As the door is pushed inward, a panicky young man, his black hair somewhat askew and carrying a bunch of papers in his hands enters the room, his blue eyes fixed on Byakuya.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Captain, but there has been a request from the Reaper squad stationed in Karakura town."

A request? He had not been expecting this. When his younger sister, Rukia Kuchiki, had pleaded with him that she could do this, and he had seen the hard resolve in her eyes, he himself had been convinced that she would get the job done swiftly. So why would she be requesting back up all of a sudden? Had things taken a turn for the worst?

"Did the request come with a reason?" Byakuya asks, knitting his fingers together and clasping his hands in front of his chest.

"Uh…yes, hold on a moment…" the young man mumbles, sifting through the papers still clutched in his hands. Byakuya waited patiently. The young man, Hanataro, is new to this line of work, and it would take time for him to grow confident and to find his way among the ranks here. That's why Byakuya doesn't try to push or intimidate him, after all, he had been in Hanataro's position himself, so he understands the pressures of it well.

"Ah, sorry, found it!" Hanataro breathes with relief, eyeing one of the papers closely.

"It says here that 'we are requesting back up due to unforeseen circumstances'…uh, I'm afraid that's all they said…" Hanataro gulps, eyes looking back up at Byakuya. Now Byakuya is confused. Rukia would not write something so vague and expect him to merely accept it. This was definitely not requested by his sister, that he is certain of.

"Hanataro."

"Y-yes sir?"

"Does the request list anyone in particular?"

Hanataro's face visibly pales, his hands slipping on the edges of the paper.

"They're requesting… Kenpachi Zaraki, sir."

Byakuya almost falls off his chair. Surely, he didn't hear that right. Requesting that _beast_ of all people? How absurd. Ludicrous, even. There is no way he would allow someone like him to go into a town like Karakura. The town would be demolished in a matter of hours.

"How ridiculous. Kenpachi Zaraki is currently locked in Isolation for yet more fighting with fellow officers, but even if he were not, I would not allow it. However, I cannot completely ignore a request such as this, so I will head there myself."

A few of the papers slip through Hanataro's grip, floating down to the floor.

"Sir, with all due respect, someone as high up as yourself is needed here- "

"Are you questioning my decision?"

"N-no sir! Apologies!" Hanataro blurts out, scooping the fallen papers back up.

"Send word back that their request for Kenpachi Zaraki is denied, but I will be coming to assess the current situation for myself. I should be there within two days."

Hantaro nods and scampers from the room like a frightened rabbit, Byakuya watching him go. Something was going on in Karakura town, and something that the reaper squad had not reported back to them. Hiding things did not sit well with him, and he would be going to the town to discover what they were up too.

* * *

Half asleep and grouchy, Ichigo swats at the offending object that keeps jabbing him in the arm. He just wants a little sleep, is that too much too ask? The object, however, only becomes more insistent, and after he ignores it, hoping it will go away, he finds himself suddenly tipping in the chair. His eyes pop open, and his arms flail in the air as he lands with a hard thump onto the floor, his ass taking the brunt of it.

"Jeez, it's like trying to wake a sleeping Ox," an unamused voice drawls, and Ichigo stares up at Shinji, rubbing his aching butt gingerly.

"Screw you, Shinji, that hurt."

"Aww, you want to sit and cry about it?"

Ichigo kicks out at Shinji, aiming for his shin as payback, but the blonde easily side steps out of his kicking range.

"Get your ass up, we have to go."

"Huh? Go where?" Ichigo asks, pushing himself back to his feet.

"Urahara says your vampire gene is taking over, and it won't be long until it takes you over completely, and then…" Shinji trails off, drawing a line across his throat with his index finger. Ichigo's eyes widen at the dark gesture. And then they'd have to kill him? Slit his throat? Put a Zanpakuto through him?

"So it's true…I really am turning into a monster…" Ichigo sighs.

"Don't start with the self-pity, it's not needed, Ichigo," Shinji mutters, gesturing at the door to the office.

"I can't explain much to you here, but I'll explain to you properly once we get there. All I can tell you now is that if you come with me, you're not going to turn into a monster."

Well, how can he refuse an offer like that? And he sure doesn't have another choice anyway, does he? Refuse and he'll turn, and then be slaughtered, just like his mother.

"What about Mizuiro? I can't just-"

"I'm sure Urahara will have him patched up and returned home, good as new. Now's the time you need to be worrying about yourself, not anybody else. Come on," Shinji nods at the door and strides out of it, and after a moment of hesitation, Ichigo follows him out.

* * *

 **I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and to be honest, I wasn't going to have Shinji become such a big part of the story line when I first started writing this, but as it usually does, my writing seems to have taken on a life of its own, and Shinji has managed to wedge himself into it xD ! But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter and thanks for reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Slipping back out into what Ichigo presumes are the early hours of the morning, he can see the dark sky shifting to a lighter color, an orange glow in the far distance. Shinji keeps a couple of paces in front of him, making no attempt to bring up any sort of idle conversation. Ichigo hasn't got a clue as to where Shinji could possibly be dragging him this time, or what the blonde could have planned to stop him turning into a…vampire. The streets are still deserted and quiet, the early morning workers still enjoying a few more minutes of slumber. Shivering in the cool air, Ichigo hugs his arms to try and preserve a bit more warmth.

They make their way down past the all too familiar path that leads to the embankment, bad memories flooding into Ichigo's mind like a broken dam. That embankment, which has previously been the sight of quite a few happy and cheery memories with his friends and sisters, would now forever be stained by the hard times of the past two days. Shinji leads him through a few more streets, dogs now barking in the near distance. They reach a set of apartment blocks, Ichigo immediately noting that they seem decrepit, and like they haven't been renovated in a good thirty years or so. Shinji swings open a rusting gate, stepping inside into a patch of overgrown lawn, and Ichigo follows suit, the gate banging shut behind him. As they follow a scuffed cement path they reach a locked door, an electronic number pad settled on the wall at the side of it. Shinji raises a slender finger and presses the number nine, and a low buzz sounds through a tiny intercom next to the buttons.

"Who the hell is it, do ya know what time it is ya dingbat! Why I oughta- "

"It's Shinji, let me up and stop your yammering, you're gonna wake all of the neighbors, idiot."

"COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE WHEN YA GET UP HERE YA BIG BALDY!" A shrill, angry female voice screams, and the door buzzes, Shinji quickly turning the handle and wrenching it open. Whoever was on the other end of that intercom sure has some anger issues, Ichigo summarizes, and he isn't especially looking forward to meeting them. But he obediently trails after Shinji, and they go up only one flight of stairs, opening yet another door into a long, wide corridor. The walls are painted a sickly green color, and in places Ichigo can see the paint has been scrapped off, maybe purposely or accidentally, who knows. The apartment doors themselves are all a light grey, with bold black numbers etched into the top of each one. Ichigo counts as they go along the corridor, until they reach the end, and he can see the number nine etched on the grey door now in front of them. Shinji places his hand on the shiny metal handle, before peering back over his shoulder at Ichigo.

"Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances, call her short," Shinji whispers, and Ichigo raises an eyebrow. A sick part of his brain urges him to stride in and blurt out 'hey there shorty, how's it hangin?' But the logical part of him quickly stomps it back down.

Shinji turns the handle, opens the door and steps inside of the apartment, Ichigo following closely behind. That was a big mistake on his part.

"COME ON THEN, I BET YA AIN'T SO TOUGH NOW I'M RIGHT IN FRONT OF YA, ARE YA?"

Ichigo registers the 'whooshing' sound of something whizzing through the air, and then Shinji ducks down, but it's too late for him. A fuzzy purple slipper slaps him right in the face, hard enough he's sure he can feel the sole imprint branded on his face as the slipper slides down and onto the carpeted flooring.

"Hiyori, for the love of God, you need to calm down! You're gonna piss off the neighbors and get yourself thrown out," Shinji chastises, nudging the purple slipper with the toe of his shoe, as if it might somehow come back to life and go for his face instead. Ichigo rubs at his burning cheek, irritation flooding into him as his eyes find the source of the projectile slipper attack. He now understands why Shinji warned him not to call her short. The girl couldn't be much more than four feet tall, light blonde hair scrunched on the side of her head in spiky pigtails, her brown eyes narrowed and alight with anger as she glares at Shinji. She's dressed in a red jogging suit with a loose white t-shirt underneath, and of course, one slipper still hangs on her left foot, the other discarded on the floor.

"Don't think ya can just waltz back in here and start tellin me what to do, Shinji! Where the hell have ya been for the past week, ya never stopped by or even called!"

"I've been up to my ears in finding these Espada, I told you that I would be before we got here. And I've been dealing with him," Shinji explains, jerking his thumb at Ichigo.

"Why, is he your _boyfriend_ or somethin?" Hiyori smirks, a small fang pointing out from her lips. Ichigo turns as red as a fire truck at the assumption.

"No, I'm not! I'm- "

"He's one of us, Hiyori," Shinji interrupts, seemingly unperturbed by the girl's question.

"Huh? Don't talk rubbish- "

"I'm not, I wouldn't joke about something like this. He's one of us."

Hiyori rolls her brown eyes, perching on the arm of a worn torn couch near the center of the room.

"Fine fine, so what if he is? Why have ya brought him here?"

"I thought that was obvious, even to a moron like you," Shinji mutters, and Hiyori springs back up from the couch like a jack-in-a-box.

"Shut yer trap ya damn baldy!" She seethes, and she reaches her arms out to try to punch Shinji. With ease, Shinji raises an arm and plants it on top of her head, keeping the angry girl at a safe distance. As Ichigo watches them, it dawns on him that the pair do seem close, even if they are currently bickering like an old married couple. He wonders how long they've known each other, and the fact that Shinji said 'he's one of us', must mean the ferocious girl is a half vampire too. Urahara hadn't mentioned knowing of anyone apart from Shinji, and neither had Shinji before now. The whole thing seems beyond strange and somewhat secretive.

"When I get my hands on ya- "

"Yeah yeah, you can throw a bitch fit to your hearts content later. But we've got something important to deal with first."

Hiyori stops struggling and pulls back, her eyes seeming to give Ichigo a quick once over from head to toe.

"Well, he doesn't look like much to me," Hiyori huffs, folding her arms across her small chest.

"Looks who's talking!" Ichigo blurts out, the girls comment hitting a little too close to his pride (or at least what's left of it at this point). He immediately knows he's made a grave mistake, watching a vein begin to bulge on Hiyori's temple, her right eye twitching.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, carrot top?" She growls, and Shinji gives Ichigo a look as if to say ' _what did I just tell you not to do?_ '. Ichigo pouts, turning his face away and shoving his hands into his pockets like a defiant child.

"Whatever."

"Don't whatever me ya - "

"ENOUGH!"

All eyes turn to Shinji, who inhales deeply, bringing a hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose.

"We don't have time to stand around and argue like this. So, both of you stop acting like kids and shut the fuck up, alright?"

Hiyori bites at her lip, before re-taking her earlier position on the couch. Seemingly satisfied, Shinji turns to Ichigo.

"First things first, I'm starving. You must be too, right Ichigo?"

Before he can answer, his stomach growls like a caged Demon. Shinji chuckles, striding off into the adjacent small kitchen area that Ichigo hadn't noticed was even there until now.

"I'll take that as a yes then. I'm afraid we've only got instant noodles, nothing fancy, but it's better than nothing," Shinji tells him as he starts to rummage around in an overhead cupboard. Ichigo strides over and takes a seat on one of the stools centered around the scuffed wooden counter-top, ignoring the childish urge to turn and blow a raspberry at the sulky girl on the couch. As Shinji prepares the noodles, Ichigo's eyes drink in the inside of the apartment. Just like the outside, it too has seen better days. The maroon wallpaper is peeling in various places, the lone window in the place covered by a moth-eaten curtain. The carpet is worn and stained in a few places, and the light over his head flickers warningly every now and then.

Shinji places the steaming instant noodles in front of Ichigo on the counter, and Ichigo's stomach lets out another hungry growl as right on queue. He wants to punch the damn thing for making such embarrassing noises, but Shinji doesn't seem to have even noticed, slurping up a string of noodle into his mouth loudly and leaning down on the counter. The blonde sighs and his eyes stare past Ichigo.

"Are you going to sulk all day, Hiyori?"

As Ichigo shovels down his noodles, hardly even tasting them (not that instant noodles taste that great anyway, so he's not missing much), an exasperated sigh comes from the girl on the couch.

"I'm not sulking, baldy! When yer done being a pig how about ya actually tell me why ya brought the carrot top here?"

Draining the last of the noodle soup that's collected in the bottom of the plastic cup, Ichigo wipes his mouth on the back of his hand and turns on the stool.

"My names Ichigo, not carrot top!"

"Who gives a shit - "

"Hiyori," Shinji warns, swallowing another mouthful of noodles.

"Alright, let's get to the point then. Like I said before, Ichigo is one of us. He's a half vampire, half human. Well, technically, he's currently more vampire than human, but you get my point," Shinji places his mostly finished noodles down on the counter, and Ichigo stares at him, feeling his heart thumping in his chest as he wonders what Shinji is going to say next.

"I brought him here because he's turning, and if he fully turns, the Slayers are gonna put him down, that's just protocol. No questions asked. For the good of humanity and all that crap. So, we're gonna help him, and we're gonna restore the balance in your favor, Ichigo," Shinji says as he flashes Ichigo a wide piano grin.

"Restore the balance in my favor, what does that mean?" Ichigo asks, intrigued.

"Okay, but you have got to promise me first that everything that we discuss here, everything that happens, it stays between the three of us. You can't tell anyone, _anyone_."

"I promise," Ichigo nods, determination set into his eyes. Shinji smirks, leaning up from the counter.

"This is going to get a little complicated, so listen carefully. There is no magical cure that will just erase the vampire in you, what I'm offering is _control_ over the vampire side of you, Ichigo."

"The vampire side?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, don't you? I bet you've heard a voice inside your head, a voice that sounds separate from you, not a part of you. Something like that, yeah?"

Ichigo flinches as if struck, almost jerking off the stool in the process.

"I have, a few times. It sounds like me, but at the same time it doesn't…"

"That's because technically it is, and it isn't at the same time. But let's not get stuck on that point. Basically, to gain control over this alternative side of you, you're gonna have to face it and beat it into submission."

"But how am I supposed to do that, when it's in my head?" Ichigo frowns.

"Well…there's no way to put this delicately, and delicately sure isn't my style anyway, so here goes. You need to drink human blood, and quite a lot of it too, I'd say at least four bags until you go into what I like to call 'craze mode'. The human part of you will be forced back into the recesses of your mind, along with the vampire part, while your body will be controlled off pure instinct. From there, you'll have to fight and win, otherwise, you'll turn completely anyway."

Ichigo swallows thickly, staring down at his clenched fists that are resting on the wooden counter top. Drinking human blood, he can't do that. It's wrong, it isn't human. If he did that, he'd as good as be waving a neon sign that flashes 'monster' above his head. He doesn't want that, he wants to stay human.

"I can't drink human blood, I can't do it," Ichigo whispers, but still loud enough for his voice to be heard by the two others present in the room. Shinji sighs, but Hiyori jumps up from the couch, leaping over and grasping Ichigo by the collar with a force that no one so small should possess.

"What do ya mean, ya can't do it? Are ya that much of a baby ya can't drink a lil bit of blood, huh?"

"Hiyori- "

"Shut it Shinji, the kid needs to hear this! If ya keep babying him yer not gonna get anywhere!" Hiyori shouts, suddenly releasing the grip on Ichigo's collar and marching around the side of the kitchen counter. She wrenches open the door of a worn-out grey (probably used to be sterling white) refrigerator, rummaging inside, her tongue dangling out of her mouth in concentration.

"Gotcha!" She says triumphantly, and as her tiny hand comes back into view, Ichigo finds himself backing away, his feet working on autopilot as his brain registers what Hiyori is holding. Blood. Dark, red, bagged blood.

"What are you doing?" Shinji hisses, attempting to rip the blood bag out of her hand, but she quickly dodges him, instead following Ichigo's footsteps as he retreats.

"What does it look like? There's no point standing around yapping about it, he just needs to jump in or he's gonna run like the coward he is, ain't that right, carrot top?"

As his lower back collides with the back of the couch, he's forced to come to a halt. But Hiyori closes the distance quickly, tearing the top of the bag open and shoving it right under Ichigo's nose. He inhales before he can stop himself, and the noodles currently swimming around in his stomach threaten to resurface. He gags, roughly pushing the bag away.

"Get that stuff away from me!"

"Aww, what's the matter, too scared of what'll happen if ya do give in to it? Don't be such a pussy and just drink it, dammit!"

"I said NO!" Ichigo shouts, anger swelling in his chest. The aroma of iron and an odd tinge of sweetness behind it starts to fill the room, and Ichigo starts to panic, eyes darting around for the door. But his feet no longer want to listen to him, and even though he wills them to move, to run, to get as far from the blood as possible, they ignore him, not budging an inch. A knowing smirk encompasses Hiyori's lips, and she waves the bag right under his nose once again.

"Ya know ya want it, so what's the point of fightin it? This is the only way yer gonna beat this, unless ya wanna die, that is. Do ya, carrot top? Do ya wanna end up another decaying heap of flesh in the stinky earth, all because yer too frightened of drinking a lil blood?"

Calm, stay calm, Ichigo chants like a mantra in his head, trying to steer his mind away from-

 ** _'_** ** _Blood, blood, blood, I definitely smell blood. And it smells fuckin sweet too, mhm. What harm is a lil taste gonna do, Ichi? Ya can't knock it till ya try it, ain't that what yer dad always says?'_**

 _Stop talking to me, I'm not drinking it, I'm not!_

 ** _'_** ** _I think yer forgettin who's got more control right now, ain't ya? I think it's time I reminded ya!'_**

Ichigo watches in horror as his own hand reaches out and grasps the chilled, bloody bag, prying it from the blonde girl's tinny fingers. What is he doing? Why can't he control his own body? The top of the torn bag is nudged between his parted lips, and his tongue peeks out to lick at the blood stained top. It tastes…sweet, much sweeter than anything he's ever tasted, but instead of putting him off, it only makes him crave more. Both of his hands grasp the bag, his fingers tightening around it to squeeze the sweet substance into his mouth. The cold, sweet liquid fills his mouth, dancing along his tongue and to the back of his throat. His eyes loll shut of their accord, the divine taste making him shudder in ecstasy. But alas, it's all over way too soon. He squeezes harder, tighter, but nothing more passes his lips. He growls, and Hiyori glances over at Shinji, who is looking on with stunned, wide eyes.

"What are ya standing there all bug eyed for? Throw me some more," Hiyori barks, and Shinji obeys, tossing her a few more packets. Before she even has chance to tear them open, Ichigo already has them in his clutches, using his stained teeth to rip through the barricade of plastic before downing the contents. Shinji carefully makes his way over, taking his steps slowly, one of his arms hidden behind his back.

"Hiyori, you should have at least let me restrain him first, this could get bad- "

The last of the drained bags flutters to the floor, and Hiyori takes a step back from Ichigo. Blood stains his formally clean lips and chin, his once human eyes tainted pure black, the irises themselves now a spectacular gold color. Bringing his blood-stained fingers up to his mouth, Ichigo swipes his tongue across them one by one, his eyes locking on Hiyori. Hiyori audibly gulps, taking another few steps back. Ichigo's chest begins to shake, and a maniac, inhuman laugh rings out across the still apartment.

"Ooh, this feels great, real great. But I'm nowhere near satisfied yet," Ichigo cackles, but the pair in the room with him are well aware this is no longer the human Ichigo.

Ichigo lunges at Hiyori, one arm outstretched towards her exposed throat, as if he's intending to throttle her to death. But Shinji is faster, and he intercepts, throwing himself in front of a shaking Hiyori like a barricade. Ichigo's fingers tighten around the other male's throat, and he croons with delight.

"Shinji!" Hiyori shrieks, but Shinji pushes her away from him when she attempts to try to help.

"S-Stay back," Shinji manages to wheeze out, and Ichigo's face splits into an ecstatic grin.

"I was gonna drain the bitch first, but I guess it don't really matter which one of ya die first," the sadistic voice chimes, and Shinji's eyes widen as Ichigo's canines grow into long, sharp fangs.

Well, it's meant for full strength vampires, but he's not giving us much of a choice, Shinji's tells himself, the lack of oxygen now making him light headed. The hand he still has clasped behind his back is revealed, an uncapped syringe in it. Golden eyes widen as the syringe is plunged into the arm strangling his prey, and within seconds his arm starts to go numb, falling back to his side like a useless rag doll.

"What the fuck did you do?" Ichigo snarls, his angry gaze on a coughing Shinji. Hiyori keeps her distance.

"It's a temporary…paralyzing agent…" Shinji splutters, his bony fingers kneading at his throat. Ichigo sways on his feet, the feeling draining from his both of his arms, his chest, his stomach, and then down to his legs and feet. He collapses onto the carpet face first, and he releases he can't breathe, can't draw a breath. The stuff must have paralyzed his diaphragm too, fucking dammit…

"Hiyori, we need to act quickly or he's gonna suffocate," he hears Shinji shout, but his consciousness is already fading, running and becoming out of his reach.

* * *

What is this place?

Ichigo stares up at a bright, blue sky, puffy white clouds dotted across it. He realizes he's lying on his back against something hard and rough, and he sits up, looking down to see what it is. A…. BUILDING? He lurches to his feet, almost losing his balance as he does so. He manages to keep on his feet, a breath of relief slipping past his lips. _But where is he?_ He was just in that apartment with Shinji and that short girl, and he…oh god…he drank-

 ** _Ya drank it, yup ya sure did. And ya loved every delicious drop of it._**

Ichigo spins around at the familiar voice behind him, coming face to face with the owner. Perched on top of a section of the building that's jutting out from the rest, is an ivory white and grinning version of himself. Is this what Shinji meant when he said the 'vampire side' of him?

"Where are we? Who are you? Tell me right now!" Ichigo shouts, hoping his voice sounds a lot braver than he currently feels. Inside, his stomach is doing merry little flips like a show dog trying to nab first place.

 ** _We're inside yer inner world, ya dumbass. And as for who am I, I think ya know already. I'm you, Ichi._**

"No you aren't, you're a monster!"

 ** _Yer right, I am. And I fuckin love it. I'm sure by the end of this yer sure gonna love it too, hehe!_**

"The hell I am!" Ichigo seethes. But in reality, he's torn. How is he supposed to fight this…this monster lurking inside of him? He stands his ground as the monster jumps down, landing quite gracefully a few feet away from him, cackling in glee at Ichigo.

 ** _My my, ya sure look like a poor lil bunny rabbit caught in headlights, ya know. How about ya just make this easy for yerself and submit to me right now? I know ya don't have the will to fight me, Ichi. So just give in._**

"You're wrong."

 ** _Oh, am I?_**

"Yeah you are, and I'm gonna damn well prove it!" Ichigo roars, feeling an intense wave of power rushing over him. His right hand suddenly feels too heavy, and he looks down at it, his eyes widening. A huge, black and white sword, it's white bandaged hilt clasped in between his clammy fingers, is now staring back up at him, almost expectantly.

 ** _Oooh, interestin, real interestin. Maybe ya do have some fight in ya after all, huh? Oh well, don't really matter, I'll just have to break ya bones and make ya bleed until it's all gone!_**

Reaching behind his back, the monstrous version of himself reveals an almost identical sword, except the black and white are on opposite sides on the other's sword, the bandages black, not white too.

 ** _I hope yer ready for me Ichi, cause if ya ain't, this is gonna be over real quick!_**

No more words. Moving at an incredible speed, the other him springs into the air, before raising his sword and bringing it down, aiming directly for Ichigo's head. Ichigo, reacting mostly on instinct, brings his own sword up to block the blow, and the swords collide against each other with a deafening screech.

* * *

Securing the last of the rope and chains, Shinji steps back, admiring his handiwork. Ichigo, now unconscious but breathing once again, is tied to the lone radiator in the room.

"He shouldn't be able to pull himself free, and that numbing agent won't completely wear off for a while yet anyway. Let's just keep an eye on him for now."

"I could've handled it, ya know," Hiyori huffs from the couch, her legs folded underneath herself.

"Sure you could have," Shinji replies, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"I could have! I didn't need ya to step in, I- "

"Well I did, so there's no point even arguing about it. I was just keeping my promise, that's all."

"I told ya I don't need protecting!"

A smile tugs at the corners of Shinji's lips, Hiyori blushing as she turns her back to him.

"Tough, because as long as we're together I'm always going to protect you, Hiyori," Shinji says as he closes the distance between them, reaching a hand out to ruffle the girl's hair. She doesn't object, only turns a brighter shade of red, refusing to turn around and look Shinji in the eye.

"I better go change."

Hiyori turns her head, watching as Shinji strides to the only other door in the apartment, closing it behind himself with a gentle click.

* * *

Pressing a finger against the speaker button, Urahara clears his throat.

"Mr Abarai, that is enough for now, you can go and get some rest, I will take over for a while."

"Alright," Renji sighs, rolling his shoulders and tugging off his slick gloves and apron. On the metal chair, a barely conscious figure glares up at the red headed slayer, it's mouth leaking bloody saliva that drips down and joins the other pools of crimson splattered on the tiled floor. Renji doesn't utter a word to the vampire as he leaves. He passes Urahara outside in the darkened corridor, and the older male tips his hat at him before opening the door and stepping inside the black room.

He needs a nice hot shower to get rid of some of this disgusting blood clinging to his tattooed skin. Even with the apron and gloves it's still managed to get all over him. Maybe he should have worn a damn hazard suit instead.

Inside, the heady aroma of iron slaps him in the face. Fortunately, it is a smell Urahara has become rather accustomed to over the years, and it doesn't bother him like it used too. A vague memory of him puking after accidentally slicing open his own arm with his Zanpakuto flutters into his mind, and he shakes his head, smiling to himself. He used to be such a different person back then, and sometimes it feels as if his memories _are_ of an entirely different person.

Side stepping the bigger pools of blood, he nudges aside the metal trolley and its various torture instruments, and comes to stand by the twitching and heavily breathing vampire. Nnoitra coughs thickly, blood spattering onto his chin and his cheeks. With losing such a large quantity of blood, Urahara is surprised that the vampire is still conscious, and is able to glare at him with such a clear gaze. He sure must be quite a stubborn one, but even the stubborn ones eventually bend and then break under the pressure.

"I'm rather impressed that you're still conscious."

Nnoitra's bloodshot eyes narrow further, a vein in his scrawny neck bulging.

"Conscious enough to fucking kill the lot of ya," the vampire hisses, more bloody spittle flying from his mouth. Urahara shakes his head sadly down at the vampire.

"Still you insist on using such profanity, but I suppose in your position I would also be full of rage and defiance. It's about time to get this charade over with, do you not think?"

"Like I told that redheaded bastard, I ain't tellin ya shit, no matter what ya do to me."

Urahara hums, his green eyes darting over to the metal cart, and the severed limb that is still dripping beads of congealing blood. The majority of vampires they had captured had undergone much less pain before they gladly confessed everything they knew, yet this Espada is still as defiant as ever. Shinj is indeed correct; Aizen has trained these vampires well.

"It has already crossed my mind that you might not be the type to succumb to physical pain and torment. So, I suppose it's time we try to do this another way."

Nnoitra's pale lips curl back, unleashing his stained fangs as Urahara calmly retrieves a blue plastic chair from the side of the room, sitting down right beside a puzzled Nnoitra.

"So tell me…I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Nnoitra…Nnoitra Gilga," the vampire spits.

"Mr Gilga, I was informed that another vampire was with you earlier, correct?"

Nnoitra frowns, unsure of where the other could be going with this line of questioning.

"Yeah, so what?"

"And he just left you there to die, such a shameful thing for a comrade to do. I bet you're just dying for revenge, to get your hands on him. But now you're in our hands, that isn't going to happen- "

"Well gee, thanks for rubbin it right in my fuckin face," Nnoitra snarls.

"I'm not finished. Even if you cannot get your revenge physically, there are other ways for you to still get it," Urahara smiles, pleased that the vampire is definitely interested in what he has to say now.

"Eh?"

"If you tell me where your comrades, and I use that word lightly, are, then essentially you will still get your revenge," Urahara explains, his smile never wavering. Nnoitra remains silent for a while, seeming to contemplate what Urahara is saying, and the muscles in his jaw visibly clench, as if he's struggling to come to a decision in his head. Then, out of nowhere, he begins to cackle, the unexpected shrill sound taking Urahara off guard.

"Basically a 'scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' kinda thing, eh?"

"I suppose you could put it that way," Urahara agrees.

Nnoitra lets out a sharp whistle between his teeth, and his hardened eyes lock with Urahara's.

* * *

As the warm sun rises, signaling the beginning of a new day for Karakura town, Mizuiro finally stirs, and Orihime, who has been sitting by his bedside since she finished healing the wound on his neck, lets out a faint sigh of relief. The teenager had lost quite a bit of blood, and had been drifting in and out of consciousness since he had been brought into the medical bay. Orihime watches as green eyes slowly flutter open, bloodshot and a little unfocused.

"Where am I?" A sleep laced voice asks, and Orihime gets to her feet, a warm smile on her lips.

"You're in a safe place, so don't worry. And the wound on your neck is fully healed now too."

Mizuiro pushes himself in a sitting position on the medical chair, his eyes seeming to become more focused as they take in Orihime.

"What about those…. things, and I could swear I heard Ichigo's voice talking to me too…"

"Oh, the vampires? Well I'm not sure, I only work in medical, but your friend Ichigo was here, in fact he helped bring you here. But I don't know where he is right now," Orihime's smile widens, and Mizuiro returns the smile.

"That's okay, thanks for healing me. I should go home now."

Orihime's mouth widens into an 'O', and she quickly puts her arms on Mizuiro's shoulders.

"Wait, you should rest for a bit, and besides," Orihime pauses, fumbling for an excuse to keep Mizuiro here until one of the slayers comes.

"Well um…oh, you have to think of something to tell your parents, right? They must be very worried about you!"

Mizuiro drops his gaze to his hands that are resting in his lap.

"Not really, I doubt my mother will even notice I'm gone. It's no big deal."

Orihime's heart clenches in her chest at his sad words. She knows exactly what is feels like to be alone, to feel uncared for and the pain it brings, and she wouldn't even wish for her worst enemy to have to suffer like that. Her instinct tells her to bring the teenager into a comforting hug, but she quickly represses it. Not everyone is comfortable with having their personal space invaded, and he has only just met her. So, she settles for giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm sure someone will be worried about you."

Mizuiro's gaze flickers back up to her, and a flash of recognition shines in them.

"Keigo…Keigo is probably worried…that idiot," Mizuiro chuckles. Orihime giggles, the weight that had been pressing on her heart lifting a little.

The pitter patter of tiny paws on hard flooring draws both of their attention, and a black cat jumps onto the end of the medical chair, staring up at a bewildered Mizuiro.

"Oh, Yoruichi, I didn't know you were back already."

"I came back a few hours ago, mainly to talk to Kisuke, but that damned fool has been avoiding me for some reason," the cat sighs, licking at its paws. Mizuiro blinks, jabbing a finger at the cat.

"You sure don't see that every day."

"You don't seem so shocked," Yoruichi comments.

"It's just that a talking cat is not the most shocking thing I've experienced lately," Mizuiro says and laughs, but it's forced.

"I see, well the sun is coming up, you need to come with me boy," the cat says as it hops down from the chair and onto the floor.

"But, Yoruichi, shouldn't he see Urahara first?" Orihime asks.

"He doesn't need to see Kisuke now that I'm here, come on boy, and don't drag your feet," the cat orders, and Mizuiro picks himself up from the chair, giving Orihime a timid wave as he leaves.

"Thank you for everything, miss…?"

"Oh, it's Orihime Inoue, but it's my pleasure, really!"

Orihime watches them both leave, before sinking back into her chair. Something does not seem right among the slayers, but she doesn't feel as if she has the right to pry into their business. She is medical personal, and her job is to heal the wounded, not to stick her nose into the fighting. But this town makes her uneasy, and the arrival of Ichigo kurosaki only increased that feeling coiling in her stomach. It's not that she doesn't like him, but it's as if her own instincts told her, no, _screamed_ to her that he's dangerous. Why? She doesn't know. She just hopes and prays that her instincts are wrong for once.

* * *

 **Another chapter out, and I'm having a lot of fun writing this now! I know I kind of left this chapter on a cliffhanger, but the chapter was turning out way to long so I had to cut it up. I'm already working on the next one so hopefully I can have it out pretty soon :) there will be GrimmIchi and smut in the future, but I'm not rushing the story, we'll get there when we get there. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Shinji, now crouched down in front of the still unconscious Ichigo, glances at his wristwatch.

"He's been out cold for two hours now, this ain't lookin so good," Shinji sighs. By now, Ichigo's body should be active, trying to escape and feed, not just a lifeless doll.

Hiyori, who is standing a few feet away with her hands on her hips, scoffs.

"Moron, ya did stick him with some of the stuff that weirdo made, yer lucky ya didn't kill him."

"Well you didn't exactly leave me any other choice," Shinji growls, and he picks up one of Ichigo's wrists, putting two fingers against the inside of the teens wrist.

"His pulse is steady, so I guess that's something."

"So, what are we gonna do? Just leave him and hope he wakes back up soon?"

Shinji lets Ichigo's arm drop, getting to his feet.

"I suppose that's all we can do. We'll just have to hope Ichigo can beat his vampire side into submission, and the sooner the better."

* * *

Ichigo's back collides into one of the brick walls with a painful thud, the brick cracking and splintering around him. A gleeful laughter rings in his eardrums as he prys himself away from the wall, his clothes now covered in dust and debris.

 ** _"_** ** _Ya know, this is pretty fun, throwin ya around like a pathetic lil ragdoll."_**

"SHUT UP!" Ichigo roars, raising his sword and charging back towards the grinning pale monster.

 ** _"_** ** _Tch,"_** the monster spits, and when Ichigo's blade is within touching distance, a pale hand grabs it. Ichigo stares, wide eyed, wondering how the hell the guy can just grab an open blade and not have his skin sliced open.

 ** _"_** ** _There ain't no point wavin around a sword if ya don't even know how to use it."_**

The other him raises his own blade high, then brings it down harshly into the flesh of Ichigo's right shoulder. Ichigo yells out in pain, his grip on his own sword faltering as pain radiates through him. He can feel the warm, wet blood spilling from his wound as the monster retracts his sword, putting it back over his shoulder.

 ** _"_** ** _Ya see? I could've finished this a while ago, but I thought I might as well see if ya would give me some entertainment before I killed ya. I gotta say, yer a real disappointment Ichi."_**

Touching a hand to his bleeding shoulder, Ichigo quickly puts some distance between them both. He hates to admit it, but the monster version of himself is right on the money here. He doesn't know to wield a sword, he's never been trained too. It's much more than just waving it around and hoping to get a hit in. It obviously takes something he's lacking…but what is that exactly?

 ** _"_** ** _Instinct."_**

The word is spoken as if the other him has just read his mind.

"What?"

 ** _"_** ** _Instinct, that's what yer lacking, Ichi. That's why I'm stronger than ya, and that's why yer gonna die."_**

Instinct? Is that really what he's lacking? Ichigo brings his blade up, staring down into the shiny metal at his own terrified reflection.

 ** _"_** ** _Don't let yerself get distracted now,"_** the monster chuckles, suddenly right behind him. Ichigo attempts to whirl around and use his blade, but the other is much quicker. He wraps an arm around Ichigo's neck, almost on the verge of choking him. His blade is swiftly kicked out of his grip, and it clatters across the floor, skidding a few feet away, well out of his current reach.

 ** _"_** ** _I refuse to carry such a weak ass excuse for a human,"_** the maniac voice breathes against his ear, and a jolt of terror rips through him as he feels something sharp rest against the middle of his back.

 ** _"_** ** _Night night, Ichi."_**

He's aware of something piercing his skin, but surprisingly, he doesn't feel pain. His brown eyes glance down, now seeing the long tip of a blade protruding through his stomach, fresh blood glistening on its surface. His mind barely registers that it must be his blood, since the blade is plunged through his body, before he collapses to his knees. An odd feeling of disorientation washes over him, like time has suddenly ceased to exist. Blood drips onto the brick wall underneath him, the tiny dripping sounds seeming to be amplified.

"Look at the state of you, you really do look pathetic right now, kid."

Black boots come into his vision, and that voice, it seems so familiar…

"Are you just gonna give up, let that vampire devour you? If you do that, how are you gonna fight me? Because that's what you really want, isn't it, Ichigo?"

Ichigo raises his head, not believing who is staring back down at him. Sea blue eyes are narrowed down at him, a look of contempt heavy in them.

"Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow smirks, flashing a set of elongated fangs.

"I'm right, ain't I? You've been thinking about what happened, how weak you were, how you couldn't fight against me."

He must be hallucinating, there's no way Grimmjow could also be present inside his inner world. But why of all people would he hallucinate about that vampire?

"I can't fight him…I don't know how…I don't have…" Ichigo sighs.

"Instinct? Sure you do, dumbass," Grimmjow replies gruffly, and he leans down, yanking Ichigo back to his feet by his collar.

"Everyone has instincts, humans, vampires, slayers. Your problem is that you haven't tapped into them, you just keep using that stupid head of yours," Grimmjow continues, and as If to encuitate his point, he taps a finger Ichigo's forehead.

"It's the part of you that you keep pushing back because you're scared if you do, you'll die. Well guess what cupcake, if you keep pushing it back, you're gonna be dead a lot quicker."

"Then what the fuck should I do?" Ichigo asks, his patience wearing thin.

Grimmjow smirks, a deep chuckle passing his lips.

"Let go of your fear, and fight for your damn life, Ichigo. That is, if you even want to live and protect your weak little friends."

Suddenly, the grip on Ichigo is released, and he finds himself back on his knees, time seeming to restart once again. Pain begins to pulse in his stomach, but he ignores it now. Grimmjow, or should he say the hallucination of Grimmjow, is right. If he wants to live, he has to let go of his fear. And he does want to live, he wants to fight and protect the people who are important to him. He reaches a hand behind his back, gripping the cold hand of the monster, who's hand is still curled around the hilt of the blade impaling him. The monster releases the blade with a startled hiss, skittering back from Ichigo.

Ichigo's own fingers curl around the hilt of the blade, and he forcibly yanks it back through the way it came. It's agonizing, but if he doesn't do this now, he's going to die. Shakily, he pushes himself to his feet, turning around with the others bloody blade in his hand. The pale him is staring back at him with wide, black eyes, obviously shocked by this sudden turn of events, believing he had Ichigo right where he wanted him. His pale hand is now smoking, as if he was burnt by Ichigo's touch.

Without a word, Ichigo sprints forward, holding the blade out in front of him. The monster just stares, frozen to the spot, as the blade is plunged through his pale stomach. Ichigo pants from the effort, the wound in his stomach throbbing and burning intensely.

 ** _"_** ** _Well well, looks like I might have been wrong about ya,"_** the pale him cackles, pale hands wrapping around the open blade. Ichigo watches as the other him starts to slowly disappear into the blade, bit by bit.

 ** _"_** ** _Looks like ya do have some instinct in ya after all. But listen to me, Ichi. If yer resolve falters, I'm gonna be right there to finish ya off, and there won't be anythin ya can do to stop me!"_**

And with that parting warning, the last part of the vampire disappears into the blade. Ichigo stares down at the black and white blade, feeling somewhat…stronger.

Ichigo comes back to reality with a start, and Shinji, who had been lent against the wall next to him, jumps out of his skin in surprise. Perspiration dripping down his brow, Ichigo tugs weakly at the handcuffs that are trapping him to the radiator, his brown eyes somewhat unfocused. Gathering himself, Shinji tilts his head, trying to catch Ichigo's attention.

"Yo, Ichigo, is that you?"

Ichigo's gaze moves to the blonde, and he nods.

"Yeah. I did it, Shinji. I beat him."

Shinji grins, clasping Ichigo's shoulder.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Ichigo chuckles, and Shinji nods in understanding, retrieving a key from his shirt pocket and unlocking the cuffs. Ichigo rubs at his wrists, sagging back against the wall. He's beyond exhausted, but still, he feels like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders. The worry of his vampire side taking over at any given moment has faded. As long as he doesn't falter, doesn't give in, he'll be fine.

"Your body is gonna need some time to recuperate after the change, so ya can rest for today, but tomorrow we're gonna start you off with some training," Shinji tells him. Ichigo raises an eyebrow.

"Training?"

"Yeah, I told you I'd train you, didn't I? And Hiyori can help out too, can't you?" Shinji asks, turning to the girl splayed across the couch.

"Yeah yeah whatever, baldy," Hiyori says, waving a dismissive hand back at him.

"With a sword?"

"Yeah, I have two so you can use one of them. And I'll also teach you the advantages of having a vampire side too. But for now, just relax and get yourself together, alright?"

"Okay."

"I'll get you some water," Shinji tells him, and Ichigo watches the blonde stride towards the kitchen area, then the sound of running water. Shinji soon returns with a cold glass of water, and Ichigo takes it, immediately bringing it up to his dry lips and taking huge, rapid gulps, not pausing until the glass is drained. With a contented sigh, Ichigo places the glass on the floor beside him, wiping his moist lips on the back of his hand.

"Thanks, I needed that."

As Ichigo pulls his hand away, he spots the smear of blood on it, and he gingerly touches his fingers to his mouth. Now that he thinks about it, he can smell blood in the air. But it doesn't make him feel sick, or make him want to lunge at Shinji or Hiyori. That must be a good sign that _he's_ the one in control now, not the vampire lurking inside of him. While he's following the train of thought, he realizes something that makes his heart sink.

"Drinking human blood is forbidden among the slayers, isn't it?"

Shinji glances at Hiyori, but the temperamental girl doesn't even seem to notice, her eyes glaring up at the ceiling. Of course he's only assumed it, but from the look on Shinji's face and his hesitation in answering, it must be. Plus, Urahara mentioned earlier about him not thinking Shinji was drinking human blood.

"It is," Shinji finally answers, and Ichigo can tell the other is choosing his words carefully.

"When I was infected, the only reason I was allowed to live by the Slayers is because Urahara insisted his serum would work and keep me under control. I was told that if I ever drank a drop of human blood I would be executed, no exceptions."

"What about Hiyori?" Ichigo asks as he gestures at the girl on the couch.

"Well...truth be told, the Slayers don't even know she's alive. Only me and Kisuke know that she's still kicking, and well, now you do too."

"Okay, I understand, I won't be running my mouth off to anyone anyway. So, how did you guys get infected?"

Shinji doesn't even need to say anything and Ichigo realizes that his question is not going to be answered. His whole demeanor changes; his hands ball into fists at his sides, his eyes narrow, and his mouth twists into a grimace.

"It's not something I want to talk about," Shinji grits out, and Hiyori sits up on the couch, finally paying attention to the tense blonde.

"Sheesh, and ya yell at me for getting worked up," Hiyori scoffs, and Shinji glares at her.

"That's because when you get worked up you tend to destroy everything your grubby little hands can find."

"The fuck did ya say?!" Hiyori growls, jumping up so that she's standing on the worn cushions of the couch. Ichigo senses a fight, but he's too drained to defuse the situation, so he just watches them in silence.

"You heard me, brat," Shinji snorts, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry. Hiyori roars like a wild animal and leaps down from the couch, landing in front of Shinji with a heavy thud, and Ichigo can feel the floor creak in protest underneath him. In one motion Hiyori retrieves her purple slipper, grabbing onto Shinji's collar.

"Yer gonna regret callin me that ya rotten baldy!" she screams, and like a scene out of some kids cartoon, she begins to repeatedly slap Shinji's cheeks with the sole of the slipper. Man, that's got to hurt, Ichigo thinks to himself, the harsh sounds of the slipper making contact with skin loud in his ears.

Smirking to himself, Ichigo thinks, well, better him than me. There's a lot more he still wants to ask, but he'll have to wait for now. He wants to know how Shinji and Hiyori got infected too, but it's obvious the slayer isn't going to talk about that any time soon, not judging by that reaction. Oh well, he can wait until Shinji trusts him enough to tell him. For now he has to concentrate on training, because he has a bad feeling something terrible is about to happen in this town, and he has to be able to protect the people he cares about.

* * *

Rukia grits her teeth, using the back of her arm to wipe some of the sweat from her forehead. Her hands shake as she slashes her Zanpakuto forward, plunging it into the cotton shoulder of the vampire dummy. Fake blood splashes up into the air as the 'vampires' shoulder drops to the floor. The exertion is starting to tire her out, and she decides to take a break. She places her Zanpakuto down on a nearby bench, picking up a half empty bottle of water and chugging down a few hearty gulps. She doesn't have a clue how long she's been training, there's no clock in the training room, but it sure feels like a couple of hours at least.

Urahara doesn't want her to push herself so hard so soon, but if she was ever going to earn her brother's respect, then she has to push herself. He'd been kind enough to give her this chance to prove herself, to prove to him and all the Slayers that she's capable of being a leader. If she succeeds in her mission here, then she would almost certainly be given a permanent place as a Captain. She can do, no, she _will_ do it.

Determined even more so now, she puts down the bottle and picks up her Zanpakuto once again. Only through pushing her mind and body to the limit will she be able to reach 'Bankai'. And she was so close now, she could tell. Just a little more is needed to make the final bindings break, and she would be able to harness the true power within her.

 _I will make you proud, Brother._

* * *

Yawning loudly, Urahara makes his way to his office. He really needs to sleep, he can't even remember the last time he got more than an hour. He hasn't been able to sleep since Ichigo Kurosaki was brought back here two nights ago. He can't honestly explain why, but something seems to be itching at his brain, but it's an itch he can't seem to be able to scratch. Was it because he was worried about Ichigo Kurosaki's vampire transition? After all, the young man is not a typical human turned vampire, nor is he exactly the same as Shinji Hirako, either.

Oh, and the letter to the Slayer's requesting for additional back up in the form of Kenpachi Zaraki. Of course, he knew that they would not approve his request, too many civilians would be at risk if Zaraki where to start tearing his way through the town searching for the vampires. But that was not his true intention. In fact, his true _intention_ should be arriving at the base within the next day or so.

As he passes the open door that leads into the front part of the base, a loud banging catches his attention. It sounded like someone was knocking, no, hammering, on the front door of the base. Cautiously, Urahara makes his way through into the front part of the base, which consists of a few lone pieces of furniture and shelves, back from when the front of the building was used as a sweet shop. The Hammering is persistent, and Urahara opens the eyehole, peering out.

"Oh, it's you. It's been quite a while this time, hasn't it, Isshin?"

"Where's my son, Urahara?" Isshin growls, meeting Urahara's eye through the eyehole.

"Why do you presume he's here?"

"Cut the bull, I know you've been talking to him, and last night he didn't come home at all, fed me some story about staying over at a friend's house. Now where is my son?"

"You should come inside, we'll discuss this further in my office," Urahara sighs, closing the eyehole and unlocking the door. Isshin all but barges inside, his concerned eyes searching around, almost as if Ichigo might be lurking in the dark room behind one of the bare shelves. Once inside the office, Urahara makes sure to lock the door so that they won't be disturbed. He offers Isshin a seat opposite his desk, and Isshin takes it, abelit reluctantly. Urahara can tell he's worried about Ichigo, especially because of what happened to his mother.

"Still working with the slayers then," Isshin comments, and Urahara nods as he takes a seat behind his desk.

"Of course, I have a duty to uphold after all."

"Duty," Isshin scoffs, but doesn't push it further.

"You came to talk about Ichigo, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did. Look Urahara, I knew that one day he'd find out the truth about what he is and about his mother, but I wanted it to come from me. And I sure as hell didn't want the Slayers knowing about him, not after they…" Urahara watches Isshin's fingers clench the sides of his chair. He can't fault Ichigo's father for his anger, he's sure if the situation was reversed he'd hold it against them too.

"Isshin, I can assure you that as of right now the Slayer captains have no knowledge of Ichigo's existence, nor that he is half vampire, like his mother was. Ichigo is currently not at the base, however, he is with a trusted comrade, one that will make sure he is safe."

"He's not here?"

"No, which is probably a good thing. One of the captains will be arriving within the next day."

The air around them seems to get thicker, heavier, Isshin's face going pale.

"Is it him?" Isshin finally asks, his voice oddly calm.

"Isshin- "

"IS IT HIM?" Isshin shouts, leaning forward and slamming his palms on Urahara's desk. He knows he has to try and diffuse Isshin, or his office might very well end up looking like a tornado just blew through it.

"There's no need to worry about Ichigo, he will not be coming near the base again for a while, not until he's trained. Please just trust in me, Isshin."

"You're not answering my damn question, Urahara. Is it that bastard who killed Masaki?"

"Yes, it is. But, Isshin-"

Isshin is already trying to tear open the locked office door, Urahara calmy rising from his own seat.

"Dammit Urahara, open this god damn door!"

"Isshin, please calm down, it's not like you to let your temper rule your better judgement-"

"Open the damn door!"

"NO!" Urahara suddenly shouts, and Isshin's eyes widen, his attempt to wrench open the door ceasing. Coming around the side of his desk, Urahara takes off his hat and fiddling with it.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to raise my voice. But you need to listen to me, Isshin. This thirst for revenge you have, it won't do you any good, and It won't bring Masaki back, either. What you need to focus on right now is looking after your two girls."

Isshin's hand falls from the door handle, his shoulders slumping.

"I know, I know that. But I can't forgive him, or the slayers, I just _can't_."

"They only did what they had to do."

"That's easy for you to say, they didn't take your soulmate away from you!"

"You're right, I suppose I'm inclined to see it from a more logical point of view. But what I'm trying to tell you is revenge at this point will mean nothing, and it could in fact just put this whole town in dire jeopardy," Urahara sighs as he places his hat back on top of his head.

"What do you mean?" Isshin asks, stepping away from the door.

"Don't play dumb with me, I know you must have noticed the unusual deaths in town lately."

"Of course I did, but I figured maybe it was just a rogue vampire passing through, it sometimes happens-"

"It's not just a rogue vampire, I'm afraid. It's a whole clan, the most trusted vampire clan, to be precise."

"What could they want in a town like this?"

Urahara perches on the edge of his desk, his green eyes staring into Isshin's brown ones.

"I've been thinking about this, considering what a clan of that caliber could be doing in a small town like this one. The only conclusion I've been able to come to so far is that they were sent here to find something, or someone."

"You…you don't think they're after Ichigo, do you?"

"Well, I did consider that, but I don't think so. Ichigo has already encountered them twice so far, and if they were specifically targeting him then they had ample opportunity to snatch him then."

"So what then?"

"Like I said, I still don't know what, or who. I've been having Yoruichi dig around town, see if she can uncover a possible lead to their base or some other strange occurrences in town that may be under the radar of the public eye, but so far she has come up empty. I'm sure we're going to find out soon enough anyway."

"I really don't like the way you're saying that," Isshin grumbles.

"I think it would be best if you and your daughters left town for the weekend."

"What? I can't just up and leave, what about Ichigo, what about the clinic-"

"I told you, Ichigo is in safe hands, and as for the clinic, it's only small and it can surely be closed for a few days, can't it? The general hospital will suffice for the people until you return."

"Are things really that bad?"

"I fear they will soon become that way, that's why you should get out of Karakura town. I'm telling you this as a friend, Isshin."

"And what if I stay?"

"Then on your head be it," Urahara shrugs, his green eyes boring into Isshin's narrowed ones. After a moment of tense silent, Isshin sighs.

"Alright. You've helped me a lot over these past years Urahara, and I greatly appreciate it. I'll tell the girls we're going on a daddy daughter trip or something."

"A wise decision," Urahara nods. Isshin offers his hand out, and Urahara happily takes it, the two firmly shaking hands as a sign of an unspoken agreement between them.

* * *

As night begins to fall on Karakura town, a lone hooded figure dressed all in black stands on the outskirts among a patch of tall trees. Having traveled all day to get here, he would like to just get this foolishness over with, even if that means tracking down the enemy himself and eliminating each and every one of them single handedly.

* * *

 **So, I'm alive, yay ! New chapter out and I hope you guys enjoy it, and I appreciate anyone who is still reading :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Byakuya Kuchiki emerges from behind the trees, his steely gaze taking in the quiet town. He's never been stationed here before, but he should be able to find his way to the Reapers current base rather easily from the instructions in the initial report he had seen.

Making his way through the streets, and thankfully not encountering a single human along his way, he finds the street name he is looking for, and finds himself facing what seems to be a worn down Candy store from the outside. Byakuya frowns. Is this really the base Rukia chose for such a high rank mission?

Raising a hand, he knocks on the wooden door, not entirely expecting a response. He's about to turn away and look somewhere else when the peephole slides open, revealing a wide brown eye.

"Captain Kuchiki?!"

"Open the door, Renji," Byakuya orders, and Renji does as he's told, not even asking for the password before unlatching the bolts. Byakuya steps inside as soon as the door opens, and Renji stares at him in utter shock.

"Captain, what are you doing here?"

"Uh I mean, did Lord Yamamoto ask you to come?" Renji hastily adds as Byakuya scowls at the questioning.

"No, I received a letter from Rukia requesting that brute Zaraki for assistance here, so I thought it best to come here myself and see exactly what is going on that would require a beast such as him. Where is Rukia and the watcher stationed at this base?"

"Well, I don't know about Urahara but Rukia's in her sleeping quarters, she's spent most of today just training until she as good as collapsed and I had to carry her to bed. Ah, speak of the devil," Renji mutters as Urahara glides into the room, stretching his arms high above his head and groaning.

"Ah, that nap did the trick! I'm glad to see you've arrived, Captain Kuchiki, we're very grateful for your assistance in these worrying times!"

"You knew he was coming? Did Rukia tell you?" Renji asks, staring between the two in bewilderment.

"I assume you are the one who wrote that letter?" Byakuya asks.

"You picked up on that sooner than I expected, well done. May I ask what gave me away so easily?" Urahara chuckles, and Byakuya's eyes narrow.

"Rukia would not write to me begging for Kenpachi Zaraki to come to a place like this, she has seen all too well the devastation he can cause if he so wishes."

"Quite right. Rukia has been trying her best to prove she can do this, and don't get me wrong, she's a very capable and skilled slayer, but…I think she could use some extra hands, per say," Urahara says to Byakuya, who stares at him coldly.

"Extra hands, you say? I am a Captain of the Gotei 13, not some mere pawn for-"

"Oh my, I didn't mean to offend you Captain Kuchiki, please accept my sincere apologies," Urahara interrupts, bowing. Byakuya opens his mouth as if to argue further, but thinks better of it and instead turns his gaze to Renji.

"I wish to speak to Rukia as well."

"Uh yeah, right away Captain," Renji nods, and he rushes off to find the younger Kuchiki, leaving Urahara and Byakuya to share an awkward silence.

" What is your reason for this?" Byakuya suddenly asks.

"For bringing you here? Well, I have a feeling something big is going to happen within the next few days."

"You got me to travel here on a mere feeling?"

"I suppose you could say that…" Urahara chuckles, averting his eyes from the other.

"How ridiculous," Byakuya scoffs. Who does this man think he is, behaving so foolishly and wasting his time. A flicker of his old temper begins to surface, but he squashes it back down again quickly. He isn't a stroppy teenager any more, he is a Captain, and he has to behave as such, no matter how infuriating others can be.

"Would you like some tea while we wait for your sister to join us, Captain Kuchiki?"

* * *

Staring up at the ceiling in the semi darkness, Ichigo realizes sleep is impossible for him right now. The couch that he is laying on is digging into his back, and his long legs dangle over the edge uncomfortably. There's too much to think about, too much that's already happened, and that's going to happen, for him to doze off anytime soon. He sits up, letting the blanket that Shinji gave him pool around his waist.

He can hear snoring from the bedroom nearby. Well, at least Hiyori and Shinji are getting some shut eye. He gets to his feet and stretches, his back cracking uncomfortably as he does. His eyes are drawn to the slightly open curtains, where a slither of moonlight is seeping in onto the old carpet of the apartment. Quietly, so as not to wake the other two, he heads over and pushes the curtains aside. The town of Karakura seems peaceful at night, lights from streetlights and occupied houses lighting up the night. Ichigo wonders how is sister and his father are doing right now. They'll be okay, as long as I keep my distance. Sadness blooms in his chest at the thought of never seeing them again, but he pushes that thought away. He's in control of his vampire side now, that's a step in the right direction, and tomorrow Shinji will start training with him. There's no reason for him not to be able to see them again soon.

"That couch is a bitch to sleep on, ain't it?"

Ichigo jumps, turning to see Shinji grinning at him from a few feet away, his blonde hair askew from sleep.

"Damn it, don't scare me like that!" Ichigo hisses.

"Alright keep your knickers on Ichigo, my bad," Shinji chuckles, and he joins Ichigo at the window.

"It looks real peaceful at night, don't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Ichigo agrees, staring back out at the town.

"Let me ask you something Ichigo. Are ya really sure yer up for this life?"

Ichigo frowns, not expecting Shinji to turn the conversation to something so big right now. He rests his elbows down on the small window ledge, thinking of how to word his response. Was he ready for this? Hell no, he knows that. But what choice does he have? He can't just go back home now and pretend none of this ever happened, that he doesn't know those vampires are crawling around Karakura at night feeding on people, even killing some of their victims. What kind of a person would he be if he just turned his back on all of this and ran back home?

He feels Shinji's eyes on him, but the blonde doesn't try and hurry him up.

"I'm not ready, I'll admit that. But I know this is something I have to do now. Not just for me, but for my family, my friends, and everyone in Karakura town that needs protecting," Ichigo finally answers.

"Ah, so you're doin this to protect everyone. Do you think you're capable of being able to accomplish something so big?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to try."

Shinji studies him for a few moments, seeming to be searching for something, but Ichigo has no idea what, before he averts his gaze away and back to the window.

"You're a strange one Ichigo."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ichigo laughs, and Shinji laughs along with him. The mood seems to lighten between them, and Ichigo decides to brooch a question that's been in the back of his mind since Shinji brought him here.

"So, are you and Hiyori, a couple or something?"

Shinji's eyes widen in horror, and he glances at the closed bedroom door.

"Don't let Hiyori hear you say that, she'll tear you a new one. We're just…friends I guess."

"Friends? You two seem closer than friends to me."

"It's complicated," Shinji mutters, no longer willing to meet Ichigo's gaze.

"I get it, more stuff you don't want to talk about, it's fine," Ichigo sighs. He wants to pursue the subject, but he doesn't want to piss Shinji off, not after everything the man has done for him recently.

"Well, not right now, but I'm sure there'll come a time when I tell ya about it. It's just a part of my past that I'd rather forget about."

Ichigo smiles and nods, letting Shinji know he understands. And unfortunately, the peace and quiet is destined to be short lived.

Both Shinji and Ichigo jump in alarm as the bedroom door suddenly swings open with a bang, a very angry Hiyori glaring at them both from the doorway.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU IDIOTS PLAYING AT, IT'S TO LATE FOR THIS BULLCRAP!"

"We weren't even talking that loud-" Shinji starts, but Hiyori cuts him off.

"YOU WERE TALKING LOUD ENOUGH TO WAKE MY UP BALDY, AND THAT'S TO DAMN LOUD! WHY I OUTTA KICK YOUR ASS!"

Ichigo wishes he'd just put up with the damn couch.

* * *

Polishing off another bottle of whiskey, Grimmjow launches the bottle at the nearest wall, watching with little interest as it smashes into tiny pieces, glass littering the tiled floor. It's late and he's getting hungry, but the damn chihuahua has forbidden him from leaving the base until further notice. Tch, who does he think he is, telling him what to do?

"I'd rather you weren't so messy Grimmjow, it's me who is going to be tasked with cleaning it up," a voice drawls from behind him.

"I don't give a fuck, isn't that what you're here for? To clean up after us?" Grimmjow taunts, not even bothering to look back.

"How rude. I'm not your maid, I'm your doctor. You should show me more respect, after all, there might come a day when I have your life sitting in the palm of my hand."

"Fuck off Szayel, haven't you got something to go and dissect or some shit? "Grimmjow growls, not liking the threat behind the doctors words.

"Well, if you're offering I'd be more than happy to oblige," Szayel chuckles, calmly making his way over to the couch. He reaches a hand out and runs it through Grimmjow's vibrant blue hair.

"What the fuck are you doin?!" Grimmjow shouts, jumping up from the couch and narrowing his eyes at Szayel.

"My my, no need to get so riled up over such a simple touch."

"You touch me again and I'm gonna rip your damn throat out!" Grimmjow threatens.

" _Enough_ ," Ulquiorra demands as he strides into the room, and both Szayel and Grimmjow fall silent.

"Our back up has arrived."

A tall, heavy set man stands in the doorway, having to hunch forward so that his head doesn't hit the top of the door frame. His massive bulk somehow manages to fit through the doorway, and he leers down at the other Espada present.

" What's up ?"

"Aw shit not this fucking guy…" Grimmjow groans, smoothing his blue hair back down. Ulquiorra shots him a glare, but either Grimmjow doesn't notice or just ignores him.

" Yammy will be very useful for what I have planned next, " Ulquiorra states to those present, and Szayel tilts his head curiously.

" Oh, you have formulated another plan to retrieve what Lord Aizen sent us here for ?"

" I had to reconsider a few parts after two of our members foolish behavior. After some consideration I believe this new plan will actually go much more smoothly than the other."

Grimmjow scoffs and stands up, feeling a tad lightheaded from the copious amounts of alcohol currently coursing through his system. While being a vampire means he has a higher tolerance, even he still has his limits.

" Let me guess, the plan doesn't include Nnoitora anymore, cause let's face it, his ass is as good as dead. And as for me, and my 'foolish' behavior, I'm supposed to just stay here and sit pretty while you guys go and have all the fun, right? " Grimmjow spits, locking eyes with Ulquiorra.

" Is that a problem ?" Ulquiorra replies calmly. Too calmly.

Grimmjow knows he shouldn't reply, knows it's just going to stir up more shit, but it's not in his nature to keep his mouth shut.

" What do you think, smartass ? Why am I being punished for being what I am, a fucking vampire that needs to feed and satisfy my blood lust. I'm sick of all these fuckin rules and - " before he can finish his rant, a pale hand grips his right shoulder hard, so hard that he can feels his shoulder bones creak in protest.

" You listen to me now, and you listen good, Grimmjow. You think you are sick of obeying rules? Do you not think I'm sick of you constantly defying me and Lord Aizen's orders ? Hmmm ?" Ulquiorra tightens his grip, and a quiet groan slips past Grimmjow's clenched teeth.

Szayel watches with interest, while Yammy on the other hand seems more interested in picking his nose.

" You are going to stay here and sit pretty as you put it, while I and the others fufill our mission. There is no room for argument, do you understand me ? " To emphasize his point, Ulquiorra forces Grimmjow back down onto the couch, and grips Grimmjow's neck with his other hand from behind. Grimmjow's hand flies up on reflex, trying to throw Ulquiorra's off, but Ulquiorra only grips tighter.

" If everything goes to plan, our mission will be done by the end of this night, and when we go back to Lord Aizen and tell him of what transpired here, you might very well find yourself stripped of being an Espada."

And with that warning, Ulquiorra releases his grip, striding over to Szayel.

" Do you have it ready ?"

Szayel chuckles, reaching into his white coat and pulling out a small glass vial which is filled to the brim with a vivid black liquid.

" Of course, did you ever doubt me ?"

" Good, then it's time to explain the plan."

* * *

The aroma of freshly brewed tea fills Urahara's office, which now occupies five. Rukia, flushed and very on edge, hand Byakuya a cup of tea, and he accepts it, not meeting her eyes. Renji stands behind Urahara, who is sat behind his desk, his hands around a mug of hot tea. The atmosphere is so heavy it could be cut with a knife, and Rukia's stomach churns as her mind tries to digest why this is happening. Why is her brother here ? Did he lose his trust in her?

Byakuya takes a sip of the tea, the places it down on the desk, putting his hands on his lap.

" The tea is lovely."

" Ah I'm glad you like it, Rukia made it ," Urahara smiles, and Rukia's cheeks light up like a fire engine.

" Why am I here ?"

" Straight to the point, aren't you ?"

" There is no sense in making small talk, and my patience has already been thinned enough," Byakuya replies, and Renji's eyes widen. Byakuya Kuchiki is not a man to be toyed with, every slayer knows that. But here Urahara was, playing with his superior like he's teasing a cat with a ball of yarn. He's crazy.

" Well, if you're asking why I sent that letter to you, it's because we have a dire situation on our hands right now. A situation that is slowly, but surely, getting out of control."

Rukia stares at Urahara, a deep frown on her face.

" What are you talking about ? " She asks, and Urahara gives her an apologetic look.

" He sent a letter to me using your name, asking for the assistance of Kenpachi Zaraki, " Byakuya cuts in, and Rukia's mouth drops open.

" You did what ?"

Rukia clenches her fists, feeling herself fill with anger. Urahara glances over his shoulder at Renji.

" Maybe it would be best if you and miss Kuchiki waited-"

" I am not going anywhere until you explain this to me properly! Why would you go behind my back like this Kisuke - "

" Rukia."

Rukia falls silent, as Byakuya finally meets her eyes. She can't figure out what is going through his head, or how he currently feels about her, but his tone left no room for argument. Renji strides over to her and puts his hands on her shoulders, gently squeezing.

" Come on Rukia, let's go and get something to eat, yeah ? "

Rukia bites her lip, feeling beyond frustrated and angry. But she could never defy her brother. So she nods and let's Renji steer her towards the office door and out of the room. Both Byakuya and Urahara wait a few minutes after the door closes before continuing the conversation.

" What dire situation are you speaking of ?"

" I have information that the Espada are not just here to drink and kill, and their goal is actually someone, not something, here."

" Where is this information from ?"

" Ah well... that's not really important..." Urahara chuckles nervously, and Byakuya narrows his eyes.

" Of course it is important. How am I supposed to determine if your information is substantial if I do not know the source ? "

Urahara sighs, then leans down, peering down under his desk.

" Awww, what a cute little kitty you are when you're all curled up!"

A low hiss comes from under the desk, followed by a gasp from Urahara, who sits up, a line of red scratches running down his left cheek.

" Ouch, was there really any need for such hostility, Yoruichi ? "

A black cat promptly jumps up onto the desk, it's tail swishing back and forth.

" I've warned you before not to call me cute, or kitty," Yoruichi huffs, her feline eyes fixing on Byakuya.

" You're the source ?"

" Indeed I am. My my how much you've grown since I last saw you, little Byakuya."

"Don't call me that, " Byakuya huffs, but Yoruichi merely laughs.

" Still as grouchy as ever I see."

" Will you please just tell him what you told me ?" Urahara grumbles, gingerly dabbing at his cheek with one of the sleeves of his robe.

" Fine, but listen well, little Byakuya, because I'm not prone to repeating myself."

* * *

Rushing along a candle lite corridor, Hanataro struggles to keep the stack of papers he is holding steady. He has to get all of this paperwork delievered to other Captains throughout the academy before he can turn in for the night. He should have done it earlier, but he had been called on to help with a medical emergency, training gone wrong apparently. Oh well, the quicker he was, the sooner he could finally get some much needed sleep.

He's so focused on getting his work over that he doesn't notice the figure coming around the bend of the corridor, and he collides right into them. Papers fly everywhere, now jumbled and disorganized. Hanataro stumbles back, his eyes widening as he see's who he has just bumped into.

" C-Captain Kurotsuchi, I'm so sorry ! " Hanataro squeaks, kneeling down to gather up the papers.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi sighs impatiently, staring down at the flustered boy.

" Why on earth were you not concentrating on where you were going, hmm?"

Hanataro pauses and looks up, meeting Kurotsuchi's intense gold eyes. They seem to bore into his very soul, and he finds himself not being able to look away. The eccentric black and white facial paint that he applies only intensifies the heavy fear now settling in Hanataro's stomach.

" Well, I'm waiting for an explanation. I haven't got all night."

" I...I don't know, I'm very sorry sir," Hanataro gulps, feeling sweat starting to pool on his forehead.

The captain rolls his eyes in agitation, and Hanataro doesn't know what else to say.

" Tch, I don't have time to be dealing with blundering fools. Pick this mess up and be quick about it," Mayuri Kurotsuchi chastises, before continuing down the corridor, past a trembling Hanataro.

As the Captain disappears down another bend of the corridor, Hanataro lets out a shaky breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and continues to gather the rest of the papers on the floor. A thought occurs to him as he gets back to his feet.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi is far scarier than any vampire, and god help any of them unlucky enough to cross paths with him.

* * *

 **Yep, still alive. If you're still reading I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, and I'm sorry for the long wait !**


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